真相
by sizuka chan
Summary: They all chose to live in the realm of illusion, all because reality was too harsh, too painful, too true. They would rather wrap themselves with lies than dump truth over them. But that cannot continue, because reality always finds a way back. ItaSaku
1. Chapter 1

(A/N) So, please read this, and tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. (sigh) Though I wished I can.

* * *

_They were standing on a cliff. How they got there, none of them knew._

_Sakura's eyes filled with tears. Quickly she looked down, hiding her face from him._

_"Sakura-chan...don't leave. Please. For me. For Konoha." Naruto begged his best friend, tears pouring out of his eyes._

_"Gomen, Naruto." Sakura managed to murmur as she turned around._

_"You have to join them, don't you?" he demanded, voice getting angry, and yet, more hurt poured out._

_He looked down. No. She was leaving. Why? She left once. Now she was leaving again._

_"Naruto..."_

_He looked up._

___"I promise, ne, Naruto? I promise that I'll come back. And when I come back, I'll tell you everything, and I'll buy you ramen too. Ne, Naruto?" She turned to leave. Turning her face slightly around, she smiled at him. Naruto gasped. This was one of the moments when she was most beautiful. Her face shone in the moonlight, a gust of wind was blowing her shoulder-length pink hair around her face, and her green eyes were bright with tears. Her cheeks were faintly blushing, and her lips had a pale pink tinge. When she spoke, her melodic voice ran out in the silence._

_"Arigato…Naruto."_

_Darkness._

Naruto woke up with sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Just a dream. Only a dream." He murmured to himself.

Sitting up in bed, he looked out his window.

"Demo, why do I feel as if the dream means more than a dream?" he asked himself.

* * *

A few minutes after the blonde-haired boy had woken, in a forest miles away from Konoha, two black blurs speckled with red dashed towards the fire village.

"Itachi, the medic-nin we have to get is in Konoha?" the taller shadow asked.

"Hai."

"Why did you choose this mission, anyways? Knowing you, Konoha would be the last place you'd want to go to at this point."

"Leader-sama chose it for us."

The taller man sighed, "I guess there's no arguing with Leader-sama, now, is there?" "Hn."

All of a sudden, the taller man smiled.

"Itachi-san, a strong chakra signature is heading our way." He was met with silence. "Shall we keep on going? Or—"

"We ignore him."

Smile getting more malicious, Kisame said,

"You really don't give a damn about your little brother, do you, Itachi-san?"

* * *

Second ANBU captain Haruno Sakura perched herself on a tree branch. Having just come back from a mission and from Tsunade's office, she found herself needing some peace and quiet. Leaning back onto the tree trunk, she closed her eyes, not bothering to take off her ANBU mask.

"Successful mission?" a voice came from behind her. Sakura smiled, she knew who it was. Taking off her ANBU mask, she shook her pink hair as she opened her eyes.

"Hai. It was a successful mission…Neji-kun."

Smirking, Neji took off his ANBU mask and leaned back on the tree trunk just like Sakura did. It was something that they did often. When either one of them had come back from a mission, they would come to this tree, and sit on one side. The other person would arrive shortly after, and sit on the other side. There, they would talk, and each would relieve the other person of the stress of a mission.

"How is Naruto-kun?"

"He has been training quite frequently with Kakashi-sensei and Lee, apart from me myself."

Neji felt Sakura raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Training? I never knew he had that ambition within him."

"He didn't." was his smirking reply. Getting up, he turned to look at Sakura.

"He said, though, that he wanted you to train him as well." With that, he jumped lithely off the tree, beckoning with a hand for Sakura to follow.

Getting up, she sighed as she, too, took off after Neji, with two times as much grace as he had.

* * *

As soon as Sakura's feet landed on the ground without making a sound, she was wrapped in warmth.

"Sakura-chan!! You won't be able to _imagine_ how _much_ I _missed_ you, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted happily.

Prying Naruto's fingers off her, Neji spoke steadily, "Sakura-san has calmly accepted to train you, Naruto. The first thing you should do is _not_ to pounce on her, but to thank her and get started."

Laughing at Naruto's pout, Sakura turned to the Hyuuga. "Arigato, Neji-kun."

Smirking, he bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Turning back to the still irritated Naruto, she smiled a cheerful smile, cocking her head to one side. "Ne, Naruto-kun, let's start."

"It's already started!" said a triumphant voice from behind her.

Without having to look, Sakura blocked the clone with her right arm as she threw him forwards. The clone disappeared as three more came at her from all directions.

Closing her eyes, she activated her senses.

Hear….the three in front of her were using the Rasengan, the three behind her were all aiming kicks at her. The three to her left and right had their fists out.

Sense….she could sense the real Naruto from the left, in the middle.

Smirking, she opened her eyes and took a step back as the real Naruto flew at her, throwing kunais at the other Naruto clones without having to look. The kunais flew straight and pinpointed their targets with deadly accuracy. At the same time, her right knee came up, and caught Naruto in his abdomen. Immediately, the fox-boy doubled over in pain as Sakura quickly knelt down and placed a kunai at his throat.

"Too slow." She said steadily, getting to her feet, removing her kunai from his throat.

Immediately, Naruto spun around and, letting out a shout, tackled her to the ground. The shout went from frustrated to surprise as she disappeared from under him, only to plant a foot on his back, forcing him down, face in the grass.

"Still too slow." She said, face emotionless.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, can you maybe get your foot off me now? I think I've had enough of the grass and dirt." Naruto's muffled voice came from beneath her. Sighing, she lifted her foot and helped her friend up. Brushing dirt off himself, Naruto eyed Sakura with a mysterious yet mischievous look. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Nani?" she asked, not liking the way he was eyeing her.

"Say, Sakura-chan….I never knew you got to be _this_ good. Is that why Neji is starting to hang out with you?" he asked, giving her a wink.

Before Sakura could retort, a fist connected with the blond boy's face. Ignoring Naruto's surprised yelp, Sakura turned to find a slightly annoyed Neji, Tenten, Lee, and Sai standing underneath the trees, in the shade.

"I take it all of you were watching our training?" she said, voice slightly amused.

"You taught dickless a nice lesson, hag." Sai answered with a fake smile.

"I'm glad." Was the only answer.

Neji ignored the worried looks that Tenten and Lee shared with each other. While it didn't seem surprising to him and Sai that Sai wasn't punched by Sakura, it was surprising for the other Konoha twelve members.

After all, it was he and Sai who helped Sakura over all these months, teaching her, training with her, and going on missions with her.

Neji watched as Lee and Naruto started a taijutsu training session as Tenten and Sakura gained on Sai. Gradually, his thoughts wavered.

* * *

_"Kai!" a voice sounded some meters from where he was training. Curious, Neji found himself cautiously walking towards the noise._

_There, in the clearing, was Sakura trying to get out of a genjutsu._

_'Trying' was bit of an overstatement._

_Neji stood there, watching amusingly for a few minutes before sighing._

_Is that girl so weak that she couldn't' get herself out of a genjutsu?_

_Walking silently up behind her, he flicked his wrist at her neck. Once his fingertips made contact with her bare neck, she opened her eyes._

_"I hadn't expected the girl genin of Team 7 to be this weak." He said, smirking._

_What she did afterwards shocked him._

_Whirling around, hands on hips, she said, "Well then, why don't **you** train me? If you say I'm weak, then make me stronger!"_

_"Why should I?"_

_"Oh!" Neji didn't like the mischievous gleam in her eyes. "And here I thought the Hyuuga prodigy would be strong enough to train **anyone** into a worthy shinobi. I'm disappointed I was wrong."_

_That had been a challenge, and he had accepted. After beating her up rather pitifully, he had, because of his cousin's strong friendship with Sakura, agreed to train her._

_And that was how they became close friends._

And he was glad that she became his friend.

* * *

Sasuke ran through the forest, Sharingan eyes blazing a bright red.

_Any time now….._

He urged himself to go faster.

_Today….Itachi…_

Seeing the first flash of red and black, Sasuke felt fury grip him so tightly, it seemed as if he might break.

_Today...you DIE!!_

And he leapt.

* * *

(A/N) Uh, so, yeah. The first chapter of my second story, named 真相_._ It's mandarin, for those of you who don't know.It means 'truth'. I_promise__ t_his story will be good._Promise_. But that depends on how much time I get to write it. Tell me what you think. Remember, this is only the first chapter, so it might not be as good as expected.

So, uh, yeah. Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N): I just wanted to say that this chapter took me quite some time. I am a busy person, therefore, this chapter comes up four weeks later than expected. Sorry! Anyways, thanks to those who wasted their time to read this. Arigato!

Disclaimer: No own. Wish I do, though.

* * *

Kisame sighed for the millionth time as he looked back.

"Anosa, Itachi-san, why didn't you just kill him off right then and there? That way, not only would he be able to die totally pissed, but your troubles would lessen a lot, wouldn't they? Say, that clone you left there to fight him….once he finds out, no doubt he's going to be fucking pissed."

"Hn."

Kisame sighed once more and shook his head. At least he didn't have an annoying brother bent on killing him.

"We're almost there." Itachi said.

_Man, this is going to be __**another**__ boring mission._ Kisame thought.

* * *

"Ne, Sakura-chan, are you free tomorrow?" Tenten asked, walking alongside the pink-haired medic. The boys walked in front of them, deep into their own conversation.

"Uh….let's see," Sakura held up an open hand, counting off the list of things she had for tomorrow, "first, Tsunade-shishou wants me to see to both her patients as well as my own. Afterwards, I need to train with Sai, Lee, and Neji. Then, I have to train Naruto. Afterwards…free."

"Right. Me, Hinata, and Ino are going to have a get-together at Hinata's. Care to join?" Tenten saw the flash in Sakura's eyes, and hastily added, "I mean, you've been on missions a lot lately, and we miss you. I know you don't want to waste your time for such… things…but…please? For Ino, then…Ino, your best friend. Or even..for Hinata! Hai! For Hinata! You can do that, can't you? Can't…you…?" Tenten's voice trailed off, eyes worried and sad.

Sakura pondered for a moment.

_So….I've been distancing myself from them for too long, eh?_

_They miss me…_

_But do __**I**__ miss them….?_

Tenten saw the hardened jade eyes grow darker, and said, in a tentative whisper, "It's alright if you don't want to, Sakura-chan. No one said you needed to—"

"No, it's fine." Tenten stopped, blinking at Sakura's melodic and cheerful voice. "I'll be there."

Tenten smiled, but the worried look hadn't left her eyes.

"Ja, see you there, then." And with that, she gave Sakura a rough push, and giggled as the pink-haired girl landed on the four boys in front of her.

"Tenten!!" and Tenten's giggles grew into a full-blown laugh as Sakura shouted, face bright red.

* * *

Black feathers.

He clenched his fist, then unclenched it.

It had been a clone.

A _clone._

_**FUCK **_that bastard!!

Did Itachi really think that he'd be that weak? So weak that he couldn't fight off a _clone_?!

Bullshit.

Sasuke didn't like it. He never liked it when people played with him, as if he were a toy...

Or a tool.

Memories flashed in his mind.

_"You were too weak to kill……"_

_"I was testing my abilities…"_

"Testing…?" Sasuke whispered to himself.

Leaping forwards, he chased after the real Itachi.

"I'm not your tool!!"

* * *

Closing her eyes, Sakura felt the calming breeze as it swept around her. It felt nice, to be free from missions for a while.

"Sakura-chan!"

Opening her eyes, she resisted a groan as she sat up from her lying position on the tree branch. Looking down, she saw a confused blond desperately searching for her.

Shaking her head with a sigh, she nimbly leaped from the tree branch and landed in front of Naruto.

"GAH! Oi, Sakura-chan, you don't have to scare me like that!!"

"It was amusing." She replied, an amused smirk on her face. Immediately, it disappeared as she noticed the sad look in Naruto's eyes.

"Don't do that." He said.

Blinking, she was about to ask him why when she realized that, with an amused smirk, she would've looked just like Sasuke.

"Oh."

There was a short silence between them, before Naruto straightened and said, in a cheerful voice, "Yosh! We'll start our training now or never, dattebayo!"

* * *

_Knock, knock._

"Come in." Tsunade said, eyes closed, hands intertwined in a 'Sasuke brooding pose' style.

Shizune stepped in, an urgent look on her face.

"Nani, Shizune?"

Her assistant stopped, prepared herself for any type of outburst, and then let it out.

"Some guards say that they sense Akatsuki outside Konoha, closing in at an incredibly fast pace."

Tsunade's eyes shot open.

"_What _did you say?"

* * *

Sakura dodged another shadow clone, and went for Naruto's stomach. Hearing a grunt told her that her fist had connected with the exact strength, and she smiled. Bringing her leg up from behind her, she used his shoulder as a hook and flipped herself over him with her other foot. She tried hard to suppress the giddy feeling that came to her every time the world turned upside down. Once she was upright—foot still on Naruto's shoulder—she kicked off, sending Naruto flying a few feet forwards.

Turning around, she sighed at the sight of Naruto sprawled on the ground, twitching.

"Still too slow."

"Is that _all_ you're going to say for the day? That's _all_ you've been saying for the past few _hours_!!" her friend said as he stood up, a frustrated look on him, even though his eyes were laughing.

Crossing her arms, she said teasingly, "If you don't build up speed, I'm not the only one who can foretell that there would be a fated meeting between your face and the ground."

"Hey!"

Naruto smiled as he heard Sakura's laughter ring in the forest.

* * *

Itachi felt Kisame land on the branch only a split second after he did.

"She's there. With the kyuubi." He pointed out.

"Ha. Seems like they're training." Kisame grinned, squatting down to get a good look at the training taking place before them.

Both Akatsuki noted that the pink-haired girl wasn't taking the kyuubi seriously at all; she wasn't sweating, but the kyuubi seemed as if he had just been through a sandstorm—or rather—_dirt_storm.

"So…that kunoichi's the one that Leader-sama wants, eh? Not bad," Kisame said to himself in a low whisper after a few minutes, "hasn't even worked up a sweat, that one. No wonder she's the second ANBU captain of Konoha."

Just then, their target flipped over the kyuubi and kicked him back a few twenty meters away.

"Still too slow."

Both Akatsuki blinked at the sound of her voice. That was the first time she spoke since her 'fight' with the kyuubi.

Itachi noted that her voice, melodic though it was, contained both an irritated tone and an amused tone. Was she amused that the kyuubi was weaker than her?

"Is that _all _you're going to say for the day? That's _all_ you've been saying for the past few _hours_!!" the kyuubi complained, getting up from the ground.

A low whistle reached Itachi's ear.

"Did you hear that, Itachi-san? That puny kunoichi has been training with him for the past few _hours_. _Now_ it makes _more_ sense why she's an ANBU cap—"

Kisame was interrupted by the kunoichi.

"If you don't build up speed, I'm not the only one who can foretell that there would be a fated meeting between your face and the ground."

"—and she's got a nice sense of humor too!" the missing mist-nin ended, a full grin on his face as the kyuubi container's loud shout sounded in the background.

Itachi smirked as their target laughed, her voice ringing in the forest.

It was a nice sound.

"Should we get her now?" Kisame wanted to know.

"We wait." Was all the answer he got.

* * *

(A/N): How was it? Good? Bad? PLEAZ review! Otherwise I wouldn't know if you like it or not. Next chapter might come up earlier. I'll try to update faster.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So how's this? Fast enough? I escaped from my personal hell to type this up. By the way, I'm starting another fanfic that I'm going to have my friends check before I start updating it. This story is going pretty smoothly so far. My Word Document on this story is about 55 pages, font size 10, no double spaces. Creepy. To me, that is. ANYWAYS, **done**with my chatting, and **on**with this chapter!!

oh yeah, disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I no own. But my Chiaki is mine!!

* * *

Drip

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror.

And staring back at her…was not herself.

Staring back at her was a doll.

A used puppet. A tool.

A shinobi.

Yet, there it was. The same pink hair, same pale face, same green eyes.

Or, at least, to her they were the same green eyes.

To everyone else, her eyes were…dead.

Sure they were still green…but….they simply lost their shine. Their life.

It was as if she was the living dead.

_'With the way you look, people would assume you were one of Kankuro's puppets, hag.'_ Sai had once commented during one of their emotional lessons.

Drying off her hair, Sakura put on her underwear, then came a simple black mesh shirt. Over that came a black t-shirt that had sleeves up to her elbow. Pulling on a pair of loose plain black slacks, she took a deep breath.

Taking a kunai, she hid it inside her shirt where it hang in one of the secret pouches that she'd especially sewn on. It was a good thing she was skinny as she grabbed a couple of shuriken, and, placing them inside different pouches, she closed her door behind her, her ever-present gloves in her pant pocket.

Now…to get Naruto.

* * *

Silent feet hit the roof of a house for a thousandth of a second, and then were gone, to appear on the ground.

Both predators nodded, and took off.

They raced through the street, following her chakra signature.

Suddenly, their prey's chakra signature was met up with the kyuubi's own.

Itachi halted. Not good.

Seeing his partner smirk, he realized what Kisame was thinking.

Get the kunoichi. The kyuubi follows.

The kyuubi follows. They'll have him.

Just like hitting two birds with one stone. Yet, it wasn't that simple.

Sighing, Itachi opened his mouth. Why did he always have to be the one to caution Kisame?

"We will not capture the kyuubi container now."

"Eh? Why's that, Itachi-san?"

"Let the kunoichi be bait for the kyuubi container." _If we try and capture him ourselves, it would be too much to handle at a time. Let him come to us naturally._

"Ah…" the shark-man nodded, seeming to get it, "she'll do the work for us."

"Hn."

"Sure, why not? But I don't see why we have to be quiet about all this. I want to fight the kunoichi first."

"Fight her when we get back to the Akatsuki base."

Kisame opened his mouth to complain some more, but stopped when Itachi rushed off.

_Damn quiet man…really gets on the nerves._

_Is that why his brother hates him?_

* * *

"Ne, Sakura-chan, why are we going to Hinata and Neji's house anyways?"

Sakura sighed. Sometimes, Naruto tends to be a bit tense.

"We are going, merely because they—or rather—the girls, miss us. I'm bringing you," Sakura added when she saw Naruto open his mouth to bombard another question at her, "merely because Hinata-chan needs a surprise from me. They miss me a lot, Naruto-kun."

"Ah….I see now…." The fox-boy drawled, arms behind his head.

There was a moment of comfortable silence as both friends seeped into their own thoughts.

…

…

"Why did you join the ANBU without telling me?"

Naruto felt his teammate beside him stiffen for a moment, then relax.

"Because I was a weakling. A hindrance. And nothing weak survives for long in a ruthless world."

"Demo Sakura-chan!" Naruto started saying, but was cut off when he heard her continue in a flat tone.

"Unlike you, Naruto-kun, I don't have a demon inside me. And unlike _him_, I don't come from a clan with a kekkei genkai. Nor am I like Neji-kun, the prodigy of his clan."

"Sakura-chan…." Naruto was speechless.

"And unlike _him_, I don't have a fucking older brother who told me to despise him forever and to grow strong in order to kill him."

"Sakura-chan!!" Naruto was shocked. After such a long time already…three years, wasn't it?...still, she still hates him.

"You still hate him, don't you Sakura?" he asked in a grave voice.

_You aren't the weak person here, Sakura…_

"No, I don't hate him."

_I'm the weakling, Sakura…._

"I fucking _despise_ him."

_You have no idea…_

Sakura clenched her fists. This was Naruto. He would understand why she let out her emotions now, wouldn't he?

"If I ever see him again, the last thing on his mind would be his brother when he figures out what treat I'll have for him."

_Seeing you like this…and not being able to protect Sasuke…_

"He was a fool. He's just an extra piece on the puzzle board."

_And so long ago…I used to boast that I'd become the best Hokage ever…_

"You asked why I joined the ANBU?"

_Sakura…how can I ever hope to become Hokage if I can't even protect my two best friends?..._

"I joined ANBU so that I can exterminate those extra puzzle pieces from the puzzle board."

* * *

"Unlike you, Naruto-kun, I don't have a demon inside me. And unlike _him_, I don't come from a clan with a kekkei genkai. Nor am I like Neji-kun, the prodigy of his clan."

Itachi raised his eyebrows slightly at her words. He knew who her '_him_' was, but Kisame didn't.

"Eh? Who is the kunoichi talking about?"

Kisame was rewarded with a slightly annoyed look from the man beside him on the roof.

With their chakra masked, they stood silently on the roof of a house a few blocks away from where the kunoichi and kyuubi container of Team 7 stood.

Itachi was about to tell Kisame when Sakura's voice caught his attention once more.

"And unlike _him_, I don't have a fucking older brother who told me to despise him forever and to grow strong in order to kill him."

Kisame's whistling was faint and distant to Itachi's ears. "Wow, does she mean you, Itachi-san? Seems like she's talking about your brother."

Itachi heard the kyuubi ask her if she still despised Sasuke.

"No, I don't hate him."

Itachi blinked.

"I fucking _despise_ him."

Kisame whistled again, much to Itachi's irritation.

So…this kunoichi hated her brother.

Itachi faintly remembered that he'd seen her before.

Back then, she'd been the one to follow his foolish little brother everywhere. Giggling, laughing.

In other words; weak.

But now…now…she didn't seem that weak anymore, did she?

No.

When she was younger, she'd loved Sasuke.

Now…she 'fucking _despise_ him'.

"If I ever see him again, the last thing on his mind would be his brother when he figures out what treat I'll have for him."

Kisame stifled a guffaw. This kunoichi was puny, yet feisty. And extremely dangerous when pissed, he could tell.

"He was a fool. He's just an extra piece on the puzzle board."

Itachi smirked. _Your right. He __**is**__ a fool. He's too weak to kill….and too weak to remain alive either._

"You asked why I joined the ANBU?" both Akatsuki heard the pink haired medic ask the blond boy.

"I joined ANBU so that I can exterminate those extra puzzle pieces from the puzzle board."

* * *

_Right there….he was right there!!_

Sasuke felt Itachi within the walls of Konoha.

_What the hell is he doing in there?_

_Doesn't matter. Just kill him and get done with it._

He leaped over the walls.

Suddenly, four ANBU stood in front of him, masks on.

"Well, well, well. Look who's here!" a mocking voice came from the ANBU with the eagle mask.

"If it isn't Uchiha Sasuke." A bored voice came from the boar.

"Wouldn't captain be extremely pissed if she saw him now?" A slightly amused voice came from the monkey.

"Well, hag's not here. She's with dickless going over at the Hyuuga's." That came from the last one, a dog.

"Hn. Get out of my way." Sasuke said.

"We really can't, Uchiha. After all, we were _sent_ to get you, if not to _kill_ you." the eagle taunted him.

"Don't get too excited over this, Neji. After all, if hag finds out that you accidentally kills him before she does, you'd never get out of this alive." The dog said.

_Ah. This makes sense. So the eagle was Hyuuga Neji. _Sasuke thought, smirking.

"So we meet again, Hyuuga." He said, voice empty.

"Indeed we do, Uchiha," Neji said, turning his head slightly to the left, he called to the monkey.

"Chiaki, tell Hokage-sama that we've found Uchiha Sasuke, but not the Akatsuki."

"Hai!" and the monkey disappeared.

Sasuke stood there, looking at them with annoyance.

"Get out of my way." _I don't have time for this._

"We can't. This is a mission, and I have every intention to bring you to hag myself." The dog said.

"Nice, Sai. Want to add me to the list as well?" the boar asked.

"Sure, Shikamaru." Sai answered.

Sasuke felt his patience waning. In a flash, he unsheathed his katana and went for Neji.

For them, he didn't need to use the Sharingan.

* * *

Kisame straightened, feeling the intruding chakra signature.

"Damn. Itachi-san, it looks like your brother has found out about us."

"Hn."

Kisame turned to look at him curiously. The Uchiha prodigy seemed to be thinking about something.

"Don't you want to turn back and get rid of him first?" Kisame asked the Sharingan wielder.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Mission first."

Kisame shook his head and sighed. The more he stayed around this quiet man, the more boring the world seemed to be if there weren't any fighting or blood spilling.

"We will wait until the kyuubi is gone, and then we will get the kunoichi."

* * *

Sasuke felt his energy slowly waning. Dear god this was hard. Three ANBU. One genius, one Byakuugan wielder, and one ANBU ROOT member.

And who the hell was that Captain they're talking about that the ANBU ROOT named Sai keeps calling 'hag'?

"So tell me, Sasuke," Neji drawled, dodging the katana easily, "how does it feel like to be outnumbered?"

"Hn."

"Neji." Shikamaru warned.

Sai began, "Knowing Neji, all he would do when hag finds out that he's killed the Uchiha would be to apologize and have her beat him up, that's all. Besides, it's quite amusing watching them fight. If only hag was here."

"If she was _here_, this place would have already been _nowhere_."

Sasuke's brows furrowed as he heard that phrase. What had they meant?

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You should know that our Hokage is one of the Legendary Sannin," Neji started, leaping back from Sasuke as Sai and Shikamaru came up to flank him.

"And since _you_ were once under the wings of Orochimaru, you do know that he has special jutsus—or he wouldn't be the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru for nothing."

Sasuke's gaze turned into a frown. _Why was Neji stalling?_ "Get it over with."

"_She_ is the apprentice of Tsunade-sama, a highly respected ANBU _and_ medic-nin that Tsunade-sama herself claims to be her equal. _She_ is the one you are so—interested—in knowing about."

Sasuke smirked. Whoever that girl was, it was none of his business. He moved to the left, but found himself stuck. Damn, he should've activated his Sharingan.

"Why, Sasuke, caught, aren't you?!" Shikamaru said, voice taunting.

"Is this the first time he's ever distracted before?" Sai wanted to know.

"For that, Sai," Neji said, coming up behind Sasuke, hand at his neck, ready to hit. But he didn't, because he wanted the filthy Uchiha to hear what he had to say before he let the Uchiha fall into darkness.

"You'll have to ask _her_."

* * *

A/N: Well, next chapter Sakura is gonna get kidnapped. The next one will be a bit...sad. At least, to my friends it was sad. A bit. See ya then. Oh yeah, and please review!! I LIKE reviews, without reviews, I tend to get a bit sad and I think it's bad...and this fic will end up like my other chapter fic; DISCONTINUED. (Yes, I know. Sad, isn't it? But I got stuck; ran out of ideas). So, if you like this fic and don't want it to be DISCONTINUED, a little review would be nice... (insert sweet smile).

JA!


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N): Well, hey, I'm alive! This took a long time-I had it written out, but there was no chance to update. Forgive me? So yeah, Christmas is coming up! Wish you all a merry x'mas. And here's my gift for you all!

* * *

"WHEW!! What can I do in a world without sake?!" Sakura cheered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, and then poured herself another cup.

"Eh, Sakura-chan, don't you think it's best that you don't drink too much?" Naruto asked her nervously, seated the furthest away from her. Between them, Hinata, Ino, and Tenten both looked at each other nervously.

"H-hai, S-sakura-chan, drinking t-too m-much isn't g-good for your b-body." Hinata agreed, voice worried.

"NAH!" Everyone winced as she threw her cup at Naruto's direction, and grimaced as the sound of shattering followed with an "OW!" from the other end of the room, "I'm fine—hic—don't mind me."

"Forehead, all this drinking isn't going to do you any good," Ino insisted, and grabbed her best friend's arm before Sakura grabbed another sake cup, "and I'll be damned if I have to heal your hangover tomorrow morning."

"Hangover?—hic—what hangover, Ino—hic!—pig? I can heal myself just fine, ne!" Sakura hiccupped again, and her best friend sighed before she set aside the sake and then grabbed the pink-haired kunoichi's hands in her own.

"Sakura, we know what happened on the way here, you don't have to hide it." Tenten said as Ino and Hinata nodded.

"What happened—hic! Nothing—hic—happened on the way here!"

"Sakura…" Tenten sighed, facepalming herself.

"Sakura-chan, you don't really hate Sasuke, do you?"

All four girls blinked at the sudden question.

"Ne, Naruto, what do you mean by that?" Sakura asked, frowning. Somehow, she had gotten control over herself. At least she hadn't hiccupped.

"On our way here, you said that you hated Sasuke. But do you really?" Naruto asked, then gasped, "GAH! That came out wrong! What I meant—I know that you don't—gah! I meant, that I know you don't love Sasuke anymore, well, not like you used to, but do you really hate him? After all, he is our—"

"Stop it."

Naruto ignored the whisper, and continued, "After all, he _is_ our teme—"

"_I told you to stop it!!_"

Ino opened her arms to embrace a slightly shaking Sakura who had her face slightly hidden in her two hands. The other two girls were silent. Never before had they seen a distraught Sakura. If it wasn't a calm and helpful Sakura, it was a cheerful and content Sakura, or an emotionless and cold Sakura.

…

…

…

"Uchiha Sasuke left a long time ago. And when he left, he knocked me unconscious and left me on a bench, after thanking me. Three years later, when we meet once again, he tried to kill me with a fatal stab of katana to my heart. Then, he left."

There was a moment of silence, before Sakura gave a feeble laugh, devoid of humor.

"Can you believe that? He's hurt me twice already. Why wouldn't I hate him? He doesn't deserve anything from me apart from hatred. After all, he did try to kill me. And he also harmed Naruto many more times than he did to me." Her voice broke. There, it opened. How she hated it when her iron walls opened and all the emotions and tears would flow out. All the desperation, all the pain, would come flowing out, and then she'd have to close it up again.

But they were iron walls, and they were hard to close. Easy to open when the emotions inside want to come out, hard to close when the flood still didn't cease.

"Sakura…"

"I always tell people I hate him. Maybe I do, but to me, I don't hate him. I _can't_ hate him. After all," Sakura gave Naruto a feeble smile, "he _is_ our teme, right?"

"I keep telling myself that it isn't right for me to _not_ hate him. I mean, look what he did to Naruto. He shattered our hopes, left us broken, and had intended on breaking us even more the last time we met! He doesn't seem to get bored from torturing us!"

"I trained so hard…with Neji-kun and Sai…just to hide my emotions. Just to keep them locked up behind iron walls. But then, I realized how easy it was for Sai…" her voice trailed off.

"Sakura…" Naruto started, but stopped as she finished her sentence.

"Because iron walls are easy to give way to a flood, but they can't stop a flood. Because iron walls are heavy. That's what makes them secure; their heaviness. Without that heaviness, the flood they are holding would've already broken through."

With that, another flood broke through, and Ino cradled her best friend, while Hinata and Tenten slowly left the room to prepare tea.

Naruto was crying silently, tears streaming down his cheeks, dripping off his chin in fat droplets, and landing on his clenched fists that lay on his thighs from where he sat.

_Sakura…your pain…._

_It's greater than mine…did you know that?_

_We both want the same thing….both of us…_

_We want him back…_

_I want my best friend back…but what about you?_

_Do you still love him?....do you hate him?..._

_Or is it that you don't feel anything for him anymore?...._

_…just like he does to you…_

_…oh god, Sakura…._

_…what did he __**do**__ to you?..._

* * *

Tsunade glared at the young man standing before her.

"…Uchiha…Sasuke."

He didn't answer.

"From what my informant told me…Orochimaru is dead." It wasn't a statement, or a question.

"Hn." A smirk.

"Is he?" A twitch of the mouth.

"No." A smirk.

"Well then, where is he?" A twitch of the eyebrow.

"He's gone." A smirk.

"Define that, Uchiha Sasuke."

Sai studied the scene before his eyes. Seems like the Uchiha was annoying the hell out of the Hokage. Turning his head to Neji, he raised an eyebrow.

He, Neji, and Shikamaru were standing in the Hokage's office, leaning against the walls, staring at Tsunade, Sasuke, and the windows. They were to make sure that Uchiha Sasuke doesn't make an escape.

"I..."

"..took everything he had from him."

Sai blinked at this answer, and turned his attention back to the other onyx-haired person in the room.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she tried to understand what Sasuke had just said.

"Everything?" she asked, suspicion in her voice.

"....hn…"

"In other words…you left him empty. With nothing?"

"Hai."

"Well then," Tsunade continued…

"…why are you here?"

* * *

Itachi watched the Hyuuga compound with boredom.

Kisame was cursing and muttering something about not being able to drink sake.

The kunoichi hadn't left at all. In fact, she hadn't even left when the kyuubi container had gone home.

This was not going according as plan.

"I say we go in for her right here, right now." Kisame grunted, preparing to leap off the roof they were standing on, which was only a few blocks away from the room where the kunoichi lay, with the Hyuuga heiress.

"Wait." Itachi said. There had been a sudden movement.

"Eh? What—oh." Kisame had sensed it too.

Leaping towards their target, Itachi landed on the roof where the Hyuuga and the kunoichi were in.

"…i-i-isn't g-g-ood for you to d-drink s-s-o _m—m-uch_! S-sakura-c-chan!"

Oh? So their target's name was Sakura?

Interesting.

"…I'm fine." A small, weak whisper answered back. "Don't worry."

"Y-you are not going h-home like t-this!" the Hyuuga spoke firmly, "y-you will be s-sleeping in o-our g-g-uest room to-tonight, u-understood?"

A small melodic chuckle was heard, and Itachi listened to it.

"…If it's no problem, Hinata."

So…the Hyuuga heiress's name was Hinata.

He waited until the target had been moved, and then followed the chakra signature. The slight thuds behind him told him that his partner wasn't far behind him. Suddenly, the signature stopped under him, and he waited.

"…Goodnight to you too, Hinata."

And then there was silence. Itachi waited for Sakura's signature to dwindle down to unconsciousness, and then leaped down.

"She's asleep." He told Kisame, and he too leaped down.

Nodding at each other, they slipped in through the window with their chakras masked.

Sure enough, the medic-nin by the name of Sakura was lying on a bed with the covers halfway up her torso, revealing her body from the waist up. She wore a black shirt with a V-necked collar that showed her mesh shirt inside. Her pale pink bangs, slightly tinted with gray due to the darkness, framed her pale face. Itachi followed a strand that trailed across her face to end by her lips. Those lips looked soft and fragile. In fact, her whole body seemed fragile, but Itachi knew that, deep within, she was tougher than she looked.

A low whistle reached his ears, and he looked sideways at Kisame.

"Never knew the kunoichi was such a frail and small thing." The Mist-nin marveled.

Picking her up in his arms, Itachi turned towards the window.

"Let's go."

* * *

(A/N): Ooh~~What's going to happen? Just to tell you all, Sasuke won't see Sakura until a while later.....and the meeting will be short. BUT DON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!! They will meet...and it will be a very emotional meeting. Hehe...but that's still a long time later. SO! If you want to see that part, you must review!! bwahahahhahahahhahahh :)


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N): my...violin competition...is coming up.....ugh.....dun wanna face reality lah...... ANYWAYS, please enjoy this chapter. (and wish me luck! not). Oh, and please go visit my account to check out my other fic. it's a oneshot. please read it and review....it would totally make my day.

Disclaimer: (I forgot to write this for chp.4) I dun own. No own, you hear? sniff no own...

* * *

"…Why are you here?"

Sasuke stared at her, eyes betraying nothing, voice betraying nothing, body betraying nothing.

"My brother is here."

"What?!" Neji, Sai, and Shikamaru tensed at Tsunade's sudden outburst.

Tsunade leaned back against her chair, one hand covering her eyes. "So he and his partner Hoshigaki Kisame are the Akatsuki members here. I should've thought so."

The three ANBU glanced at each other, and then Shikamaru spoke, "Hokage-sama, why would the Akatsuki be here anyways? They couldn't have possibly come for Naruto, did they? From what we've got, they still haven't captured all the rest of the demons."

"True...true…" Tsunade mumbled, then she sat up.

"Shikamaru, I want you to head towards the interrogation center, and tell Ibiki and Anko about this. Ibiki will know what to do. Sai, go get Kakashi and Naruto."

Shikamaru nodded and left. Sai lingered a bit, smile still there.

"What about hag? Don't you want her as well?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Hhm…" Sasuke watched as Tsunade considered this.

"Okay. She's dealt with Akatsuki before, so maybe she knows something. Get her as well. Now."

Sai disappeared with a puff of smoke.

That left Sasuke with an ANBU and a Hokage.

He didn't plan on escaping. Hell no. His brother was obviously after Naruto, and since Naruto was going to be brought here, his brother would either follow, or wait until Naruto wasn't surrounded by so many people to capture him.

As long as Naruto was within his sight, he could get to his brother.

And then, his brother would die.

"Hokage-sama, what do you plan on doing?" Neji's voice caused Sasuke to blink, thoughts disappearing for the moment.

"Once they are all here, we will discuss how to capture the Akatsuki and get information out of those two."

"No."

Tsunade and Neji turned their heads to the other person in the room, who had been forgotten until now.

"Itachi is mine," Sasuke said steadily.

"As for the other….he will be yours to take care of."

Neji's eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward. "Uchiha, don't think the world revolves around you and your revenge. You plan on leaving all the rest of the problems for us to deal with once your brother is dead? You have no authority to say that here! Who you are, you should be very clear of. You are a missing-nin, a traitor to Konoha, and yet you dare order the Hokage around!"

Sasuke stared calmly at the angry ANBU. "And that is why I say that the rest are yours to take care of. After all, I am a missing-nin, and I don't take orders from anyone. I follow my own road, deciding things for myself. Once I'm done with my revenge—"

"—then what, Sasuke?!" An angry voice came from the door. It must've opened during Neji's lecture, because the young man glaring at Sasuke's back was once his teammate, and that made Sasuke's eyes narrow in annoyance.

_I don't have time to deal with hindrances._

Sasuke listened as the young man's footsteps neared him.

"Once you're done with your revenge, you'll be nothing, Sasuke! In fact, I bet you'll never beat Itachi. He has control over your life, you know. You'll never break free."

"Uzumaki…" Tsunade cautioned in a quiet voice.

"And after that, what will you do? Come back to Konoha? Stay a nukenin? Is that what you want, a corrupt life afterwards? Killing him won't do you any good, teme! YOU will be the one that kills the last person of the UCHIHA clan!"

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!!" Tsunade commanded in a loud voice just as Sasuke gave the blonde boy an extremely deadly glare. Naruto realized that he had done the wrong thing, and clamped his mouth shut. His hands clenched into fists and he grinded his jaws to contain his anger.

"Uzumaki Naruto, first ANBU Captain, at your service, Hokage-sama." Naruto bit out reluctantly.

_First ANBU captain…_

_…I see…._

Kakashi appeared beside Naruto, and gave a 'Yo'.

"Good, I see you two are here. That means that Sai is getting our last person." Tsunade said.

Sasuke gave a 'hn', and turned to leave, but a voice stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going…teme?"

Sasuke didn't answer, but he didn't move either.

"Don't think you can just walk away from here unscathed. I ought to have killed you by now."

This made Sasuke's lips tighten a bit. _What was he talking about?_

Naruto appeared in front of Sasuke, a kunai raised to his throat.

"Once she's here, I'll allow you to walk away." Eyes turning red and narrowing, Naruto threatened, "don't even think about it."

* * *

Sai ran through the streets. It couldn't be that hard to find a pink-haired girl in broad daylight, would it? Looking around, he scanned the area before him once, twice, three times.

_Where could Ugly be?_

That was when he heard it.

It was faint, but it was still there.

"S-sakura!! S-Sakura-chan!!"

Rushing towards Hinata, he grabbed her by the arm.

"Where's hag?"

Hinata stared at him frantically.

"I-I don't know! S-she stayed a-at m-my h-house for the n-night! But t-this morning, s-she was g-g-one! I-I-I c-couldn't f-f-ind her a-a-anywhere!!"

"Really?"

"H-h-ai!"

Sai, overcome with other thoughts, relaxed his grip on the frantic girl and raced towards the Hokage's office, taking to the roofs and not the busy street.

Where could she be?

Landing outside the Hokage's office, he hopped through the window.

Tsunade immediately looked up at him, eyes glinting. Kakashi was holding Naruto by the shoulders, and Sasuke had distanced himself from the rest of them.

"…Where is she, Sai?" the Hokage demanded.

Naruto watched as Sai gave her a troubled look, and he felt something curl inside his stomach.

"…I couldn't find her…"

Naruto felt his stomach drop.

"What do you mean you couldn't find her? You could find her anywhere!" Tsunade snapped, voice tensing in worry.

"Hinata was also looking for her, I don't know why. She said something about hag staying over at her place last night, and that when she went to wake hag, hag was gone."

"GONE?!" Tsunade roared, getting to her feet.

Naruto shook himself out of Kakashi's grip, "What the hell!" he grabbed Sai by the collar and shook him roughly, "I was with her last night!!"

Sai didn't make any move to stop Naruto or back away. It was Kakashi who stopped Naruto.

"Perhaps, Hokage-sama, you forgot that you had sent her on a mission." The grey-haired man suggested mildly, plucking Naruto off Sai and moving the two far away from each other. That was when Naruto stomped towards Sasuke, leaving Sai alone in the other side of the room.

"I don't give out missions before sunrise or after sunset unless it's an emergency. And she's my apprentice, and that makes her—"

"—special." Naruto finished off for her, looking away from Sasuke, who had been ignoring his glares, seemingly deep in thought.

"Uzumaki," Tsunade barked, "you said that you were with her last night, were you not?"

Naruto nodded, and Sasuke, noticing the nod, seeped back into his thoughts.

_So even Naruto knows her…._

…_who could she be?..._

…_someone I don't know, like that Sai person?...._

…_.or someone I know?..._

Shaking his head, he decided to ask Naruto who the 'hag' was.

"Hai," Naruto answered, "we were with Tenten and Ino at Hinata's place, and she got drunk," he shot a look at Sasuke that Sasuke couldn't decipher, "Hinata must've made her stay. I hadn't been there, I left early. Tenten and Ino left a while before me."

Sasuke stopped himself. Maybe, if he got all the clues, he could figure this person out. She was, obviously, strong and skilled if she were the Second ANBU captain that even Neji and Shikamaru looked up too. She was Tsunade's apprentice, and Kakashi knew her. So did Tenten, Ino, and Hinata—whoever they were. It wasn't like he should remember them; he'd broken his bonds before, hadn't he? Obviously she was a really good friend and almost everyone knew her.

But who might that be?

He just couldn't figure it out, so he opened his mouth to ask, a bit reluctant.

"Naruto," the blond turned his gaze back to Sasuke, and he continued, "who are you talking about?"

…

…

…

Then, Naruto did something that shocked his former teammate. He buried his face into his hands and shook his head wildly.

"Ugh! I can't bear this! This is impossible to endure!" Turning to Tsunade, he said, "Tsunade-baa-chan, I'm going to scout the area for her," he hastily added before Tsunade could interrupt, "if she isn't in the village, I'll search for her outside the village. Ja!" and he disappeared in smoke before she could say anything.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Why did Naruto do that? What did that mean? He just wanted to know who the person was. What was so bad about it that Naruto couldn't bear?

It was Kakashi who answered him.

"You really don't know who she is?" he asked mildly.

Sasuke flicked his eyes in Kakashi's direction, then away. "No."

Tsunade interrupted, "Sai, I want—" but she never finished her sentence, because Kakashi answered in an even softer, milder tone.

"The person we are talking about is Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

* * *

_He walked away from her, head down, shoulders hunched. The Uchiha sign blaring at the back of his shirt._

"_SASUKE!!"_

_He didn't turn around._

"_SASUKE-KUN!! MATTE!!!"_

_He continued walking._

"_WAIT FOR ME!!" __**Move, feet!**__ She urged herself. When they moved, she tried to run to him, but fell a few feet away from him._

_He stopped._

"_Wait for me….don't go….why?...don't leave me…don't leave me!!"_

_Hands outstretched, she tried to reach for him. Just a bit more…only a bit….and she could reach him…._

_And then he started walking again._

_This time, however, she found herself unable to move her feet. Unable to stand up anymore, unable to do anything._

_**Weak.**_

_"NO! I'm not weak! I'm NOT!"_

_**Useless. Weakling.**_

_"NO I'M NOT!!"_

_Sasuke turned back to look at her, and she whimpered, "Sasuke…"_

_He gave a smirk, and she smiled, albeit weakly. At least he was the old Sasuke, not the knew one that Orochimaru had made._

_"Sasuke…help me…save me…"_

_But her voice trailed off as his smirk disappeared, and his face became that of the creature that appeared with his curse mark._

_Sakura watched in horror as he came closer, a katana in his hands._

_All of a sudden, he wasn't the twelve-year-old boy who left Konoha. Gone were the blue shirt, the white pants, and the backpack. Replaced were the white robe, black pants, and the hateful purple rope tied around his waist. A katana sheath was firmly placed between the ropes._

_The blade glinted in the dark, and one word was heard before it came down, and Sakura closed her eyes._

_"Weak."_

Sakura sat up, panting.

"A dream…"

Her hand went up to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and she sighed, eyes closing.

"...just a dream…"

That was when she realized that she wasn't in Hinata's guest room, and that she couldn't sense Hinata's signature anywhere in this place.

She wasn't in Hinata's guest room. She wasn't in the Hyuuga Mansion. She wasn't in Konoha.

Oh crap.

Where was she?

And ANBU Sakura kicked in. _Think, Sakura! Think!!_

Silently, Sakura slipped out of bed and looked down at herself. She was still in her all black attire. Checking inside her shirt, she found all her weapons still in place. Apparently, whoever had kidnapped her hadn't thought to check her body. Or maybe they just didn't care. That was when she felt the chakra bounds binding her to the house.

No matter. The range was about a mile around the house. Which meant that she could be a mile far from this house in any direction, and nobody would notice that she was gone.

But that still meant that she couldn't fully escape.

Walking to the only window in the room, she looked out.

An ocean lay before her, but no beach. The house she was in was located on a cliff.

Looking back towards the door of her room, she pondered the thought of walking through the door and exploring the room. What if her kidnappers found out that she was awake? What would happen to her?

Oh, screw all the caution. She was Haruno Sakura, apprentice of one of the Legendary Sannin Tsunade, and second ANBU captain of Konoha. She could defend herself.

Mind set, she checked her weapons once more, and then quietly, putting on her sandals, she left the room, sliding the screen door shut with a soft 'dud'.

She was in a hallway where there were a few more screen doors leading to more rooms. Counting in her mind, she memorized the fact that there were three more rooms, and then there was a stairway leading downstairs. She checked for any other chakra signatures, and, finding none, went downstairs quietly.

She was greeted by a small hallway running horizontally. On the left side there was a room, and when she opened the door, it revealed a bathroom with a toilet seat and a shower as well as a faucet. Walking to the other end of the hallway, she opened the screen door and stepped into a room with a little square table. Assuming that it was the living room, she opened the screen door at the opposite wall, and there was a small kitchen.

Leaving the kitchen, she exited the living room, and walked back to where the base of the staircase as well as the entrance.

Should she go back to her room or go out?

Out.

* * *

She stepped down from the hallway and onto the tile base, but stopped herself before she opened the door.

This house…something's not right about it. It seemed too…ordinary. Like she was being taken into an ordinary family's house, and now she was standing in an ordinary family's entrance where they would've placed their sandals and their other shoes and placed their umbrellas against the wall.

The strange fact was that there were no shoes, and no umbrellas.

Nothing.

Which meant that she was all alone in this house.

Which meant that she could escape.

But why would her kidnappers leave her all alone? It was as if they thought she wouldn't leave.

That was when the door opened slowly, and a figure stepped in from outside.

"We're home at last, Deidara-sempai!"

"Shut up, Tobi, yeah!"

* * *

(A/N): so, uh, how was it? there will be a fighting scene between sakura and the two akatsuki in the next chappie. and now, please review! pleaz...... and i'll give all of u a little spoiler (if u want). and be sure to go check my profile!!!


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N): YOU MUST READ!!! good news! I got through the first stage of my violin comp.! Friday's my final. Because I will be busy to the extreme, the NEXT chapter will come out a bit late...But you still have this one! And this one was 9 pages long, font Ariel size 10 no double spaced. I think that's quite a lot already. And do check out my profile. My other story is there all forlornly with only ONE review. Do be nice and give me some feedback? PLZ? And don't forget to review THIS one as well.**

**Disclaimer: no own. **

* * *

The door opened to reveal two men in clothed in black cloaks with red clouds.

Akatsuki.

The first man Sakura didn't recognize. After all, with an orange mask and one hole for an eye, no one could tell who you are. But the man behind the first she recognized quite well.

Deidara of Stone.

One of the two Akatsuki who killed Gaara for his Shukaku.

The puppet-wielding Akatsuki's partner.

It was also clear to her that he recognized her as well by the way his blue eyes—so painfully similar to Naruto's—widened and his jaw dropped.

Jumping back so that she had her left foot on the second stair and her right foot in front of her, Sakura's hand went to the pouches that contained her shuriken, and she threw them at the two Akatsuki in front of her.

The first simply gave an 'AH!' and dodged, running behind the bomb genius, who caught the shuriken easily. But Sakura didn't give him a time to attack—her left foot pushed off the stair and she flew at him, kunai drawn.

Deidara blocked with a kunai of his own, and Sakura pushed against him with all her strength.

"Deidara-sempai!" The orange-masked man shouted.

"Tobi, if you can't make yourself useful, then get the hell out of here, yeah!!" the blonde yelled, and leaped out of the house as an outraged Sakura followed suite.

She aimed a roundhouse kick at him, which he ducked, and came for her midsection. Dodging a slash at her stomach, she reached inside her pant pocket and produced her gloves, which she swiftly put on.

Deidara straightened in front of her, a few feet away.

"You're that kunoichi from last time," he murmured as he cocked his head to the side as Sakura's fist appeared where his head had been a few moments ago, "how did you find our base, yeah?"

"Don't ask _me_ that, you bastard!" Sakura growled in return, fists glowing green. She prepared to hit the ground.

"Ask the bastard who kidnapped me!"

And the earth erupted at her will.

Deidara looked down at what was left of the earth in front of their base. He sighed heavily. It used to be a training ground, and had been his favorite one, since he could explode his bombs and wake everyone up everyday. It showed them that his bombs were the truest art, and not Sasori's fucking puppets.

But now, his favorite training ground was destroyed, and standing in the middle of all the mess was a petite yet immensely infuriated kunoichi with pink hair.

"Hey, you appreciate Mother Earth or not, yeah?" he called down below to her, idly sitting cross-legged on a clay bird.

Instead of answering him, she glared at him and shouted, "Get down here and fight, you bastard!"

Feigning hurt, Deidara retorted, "Each shinobi has their own fighting style, yeah. My fighting style is my own and this is how I fight," gesturing to the ground below him he called out, "and I see that _this_ is your fighting style. Very impressive, yeah. Much better than both my teammates, I should say."

Clenching and unclenching her fists, Sakura merely glared. _Who the hell does he think he is, taunting me like that? If he hadn't had clay, he'd be as good as __**dead**__ by now._

Perhaps jeering would work.

"You say that you are fighting with your own specialty, but somehow," she slanted him a smirk, "I think you're only scared that, if you were on the ground, you wouldn't be able to dodge my attacks." She smiled as his sky-blue eyes narrowed, and continued, "surely you aren't…well…_scared_…are you?"

Deidara wasn't fooled by that. Sakura decided to change topic.

"So that's your 'true art' eh? Doesn't look like much to me. After all, that—thing," she gestured to the bird, "is all white and…stiff. Art is supposed to be full of colors and meanings. That thing doesn't show any of it. Are you _sure_ that is true art? Doesn't look like much to me!" she scoffed the last sentence.

That hit a tender spot, apparently. Deidara, furious at being underestimated, leaped down from his bird and walked over to her as his bird poofed and disappeared.

"Ha!" he scoffed, unaware of the trap he was falling into as he walked closer to her, "you don't understand true art, now, do you, yeah? You're just like Sasori, yeah! Can't you understand and appreciate true art when you see it?"

That was when he felt the kunai at his throat, and he looked behind him.

Aquamarine met emerald.

"You lost, Akatsuki." Sakura smirked.

* * *

_Haruno Sakura._

_Sakura._

_**Sakura.**_

Impossible. How could Sakura be that strong? She'd always been weak. WEAK.

"Impossible." He snapped out.

"I didn't lie, Sasuke." Kakashi said wearily.

"She couldn't possibly be that strong."

"And why wouldn't she, Uchiha?" Tsunade interrupted, "she is, after all, my apprentice."

"Hn."

"Are you saying something about my teaching abilities, Uchiha?!"

"Sakura is weak. She couldn't have made it into ANBU." Sasuke said, ignoring the enraged Hokage.

"Watch who you're talking about!" Tsunade snapped out.

But she was ignored once again. Sasuke stepped towards Kakashi.

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

Sasuke was about to say something else when Sai spoke, for the first time.

"She's stronger than you think."

Sasuke sent him a glare that he ignored.

"And because you always looked down at her, she decided to get stronger so that she wouldn't be looked down upon again."

"There was a reason for me to look down at her." Sasuke argued.

"There is no reason that I can find—she has no flaw." Sai pointed.

"Yes she does…" Sasuke's voice trailed off.

…

…

…

"..she's weak…"

* * *

Nobody said anything for the next few minutes.

The two words…those two words…

Sakura wouldn't have wanted to hear them.

That was when a feeble knock on the door broke the silence.

"Come in." Tsunade snapped, and in stepped Naruto.

He had tear tracks on his face, and his tears dripped to the tile floor in a steady, quiet 'dip, dip'.

Realization donned on everyone.

"…no…" she gasped, eyes wide, tears threatening to overflow.

"They took her away." Sai concluded. Turning to Sasuke, he stated, "see? If she was weak, the Akatsuki wouldn't have made her their target. Obviously, there's something that she has that would benefit them."

"Either that, or she's being used as a trap to lure us and Naruto. After all, Sakura _is_ very close to Naruto, isn't that right, Naruto?" Kakashi pointed out, though he'd stated it lightly, there was no humor in his eye.

"It's all my fault…" Naruto started, still looking down at the floor.

"If I could've been stronger…" he whispered

"...If I could've...tried to..." he whispered sharply, shoulders shaking out of control.

"…then…she wouldn't have ended up like this."

"I was never strong, even though I am the First ANBU Captain. Sakura was supposed to be First, but she wanted me to have a better chance of being Hokage!"

"It's….."

"…." Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and cried out.

"It's unfair!"

Wheeling around, he ran off.

"Naruto!!" Tsunade shouted, but it was too late. He'd slammed the door shut.

Facepalming herself, she ordered, "Sai, follow Naruto." Nodding, Sai left.

"Kakashi—"

"I go with them." He said firmly, leaving no space for argument.

"Fine," Tsunade sighed, then she turned to look at Sasuke.

...

"And you?"

…

…

…

"I'll follow. For my own purpose." He finally decided.

Eyes narrowing, the beautiful woman leaned in towards him, "Don't you _**dare**_ harm my apprentice. Or anyone else."

She locked eyes with the dark-haired youth before he averted his gaze and left.

Sasuke dashed through the trees, right behind Naruto and Sai, with Kakashi beside him.

* * *

…

…

"How?"

Kakashi flashed a sideway glance at his former student.

"She had a strong determination." He stated simply.

"But she had no reason."

"She didn't want people to look down at her and to protect her anymore."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and he looked at Kakashi, trying to decide whether it was a lie or a joke.

"She never thought that way before I left." He said, trying to convince himself that this was all a lie.

What he saw in his ex-sensei's eyes made his stomach twist uncomfortably.

"You made her like this, Sasuke."

* * *

They stood there with her kunai placed at his throat and their eyes locked.

The anger and frustration in the aquamarine slowly faded into silent amusement and interest.

"You got me this time, yeah." He finally said.

"Why am I here?" Sakura grounded out.

Shrugging, Deidara stepped away from her and said, "I don't know, yeah." Then something seemed to come to him, "wait, you're the Gondaime's apprentice, right?"

Suspicion flashed through the hard jade.

"I'll take that as a yes," Deidara said. Then, he took a step closer to Sakura and studied her carefully with narrowed eyes.

Feeling exposed, she took a step back from him.

"Well, I guess you're the one then, yeah." He said with a final sigh.

"Explain that." She said through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps we could—inside the house?" Deidara pointed at the dark sky, "it's going to rain soon, yeah."

Sakura looked too. How come she hadn't noticed that it was going to rain?

"Fine." She agreed, and she followed the blonde bomb genius inside the Akatsuki base where Tobi was waiting for them.

* * *

"Now tell me." Sakura demanded, eyes hard.

Tobi had said that he needed to go out, leaving her alone with Deidara.

They were currently seated opposite each other in the living room, feet tucked on cushions placed on the tatami mat.

Deidara calmly placed his mug of tea on the table and started.

"I guess it was about five or six weeks ago when Leader-sama suddenly announced that we needed a medic-nin. It took us all by surprise, yeah."

"You see, we never needed one before. If one of us got injured, we would just get some local medic-nin, and then the Uchiha would use his Sharingan afterwards so that the medic-nin would forget they ever helped us." He shrugged. "Guess Leader-sama got frustrated with Itachi using his Sharingan all the time, yeah." Seeing Sakura's questioning gaze, he supplied, "Our missions aren't always easy, and sometimes we end up hurt."

"Leader-sama said that the medic-nin we needed had to be the Gondaime's apprentice—you. He'd sent Itachi and Kisame on the mission to get you."

"And now you're here, we have a medic-nin, and I'm sure the Uchiha and Kisame will be coming back in a day or so, or maybe a few hours if it had gone smoothly, yeah." Finishing, Deidara picked up his mug and took a gulp.

"Has your Leader given another reason why he wants me?" Sakura asked.

"Not that I could think of, yeah." Deidara said.

_Obviously there's something that I have that has interested the Akatsuki's 'Leader'._

_But what could that be?_

_What do I have that is special?_

_My raw chakra?_

_My perfect chakra control?_

_Or my healing skills?_

_Certainly it couldn't be any of those; too many people have those skills as well._

_So what is it?_

_**What is it that they want from me?**_

"Hey, kunoichi," Sakura looked at Deidara, "why haven't you gone for the door yet?"

She blinked. "What?"

"The door," the blonde gestured with one hand. "If Tobi and I hadn't been here, would you have gone for the door?"

She contemplated it for a moment. "I was going to, when the two of you came."

"What's stopping you from taking a run for it now, yeah?"

Sakura's breathing stopped. He was right. Why hadn't she made a run for it?

Closing her eyes, she answered, "With two Akatsuki here, it would not seem wise to try and escape, would it?"

"That's right, but there's only one here now, yeah. And this one just got beaten by you a few minutes ago."

"That does not show you are weaker than me. It merely displays your strong opinions for art."

The bomb genius grinned. "That's right, yeah. I see you don't underestimate Akatsuki."

"I don't….even if I killed one myself."

"Ahh….but you'd done it with the help of that idiot's own grandmother, yeah?"

Sighing, Sakura said, "True." Looking into the tea inside her mug she murmured, "I was only a puppet being used."

"A puppet being used…" Deidara echoed.

"…What makes you think so?"

Sakura jerked back. "Nani?"

"I said," the blonde repeated again patiently, "what makes you think that you were a puppet?"

"I should know. Chiyo-san had been using me as her puppet because her other two had been broken!" Sakura retorted.

_Only a puppet…._

_….I'm that weak…_

"You didn't seem weak when you fought _me_ a few hours ago, yeah." Deidara pointed out.

Sakura hid her despair with a mock grin, and teased. "That's because you and Sasori are different."

"Hey! Are you implying that I'm weaker than him, yeah?!"

* * *

Naruto felt Sasuke halt behind him. Turning around, he took hold of Sai with one arm before the former ANBU ROOT could go any further.

Jerking his head at his ex-teammate and his sensei, Naruto said, "Let's go back. Something's wrong."

Nodding, Sai followed.

Sasuke did not let his eyes stray from Kakashi's face as he sensed Naruto and his replacement coming closer.

"Hey! What's going on here!" Naruto shouted, "we need to go get Sakura!"

Kakashi ignored him, "She became this way because of you."

Naruto looked from him to Sasuke, then back to Kakashi.

"What are you guys talking about?"

…

…

"Oi!" Naruto shouted. Sai wondered if he had seen this type of behavior in his book.

No, he hadn't.

Perhaps Sakura had taught him this.

Perhaps. He wasn't sure.

"It wasn't me." Sasuke said to Kakashi.

"It was you, Sasuke. It had always been you. You were the only who could've influenced her."

"You're wrong." Sasuke bit back harshly, "I didn't do anything to her."

"Maybe not physically," Kakashi said, eyes sad.

"..but mentally."

Sasuke felt the world around him fall.

They continued to stand there.

"I didn't." was all that came from the Uchiha.

"You said before that she was weak…" Kakashi said.

"Clearly you would know that if she was weak on the outside, she would be weak on the inside as well." Sai added.

Sasuke glared at the other raven-haired boy, but didn't say anything.

"She cried for you." Naruto said in a deep voice.

"She cried day and night, until in the end, she blocked herself up. Ask Sai," Naruto offered, "he and Neji helped her."

"She wasn't hard to teach, although calling her 'hag' at first got her pretty angry." Sai said with a smile.

"Why are you telling me this?" Sasuke asked in a steady, uninterested voice. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he felt the anger inside him rise.

_How could he?...._

_After all she'd done for him?..._

_He never cared…_

_He still doesn't…_

_Why?_

Kakashi noticed Naruto's hands had balled up into fists.

_Why her, Sasuke?_

_Why hurt her like this?_

"Sasuke…"

It was a low growl, and it was nowhere near pleasant.

Sasuke turned his head so that his emotionless eyes were on Naruto's.

"Why her." It wasn't a question. It wasn't a statement.

Just two words.

"I don't know what you mean." Came the empty reply.

"Don't make me break your face, teme!" Naruto growled. Taking a step, he grabbed the front of Sasuke's shirt in his fist, and yelled.

"Why the hell do you always hurt _her!!_ Why isn't it someone else?! You freakin' _broke her up into pieces, _then you tried to _stab her to death!!_ Now you want to make her feel so much better just because you're coming with us and then when she finds out you just wanted your brother, you're going to _shatter her again!!!_"

The forest echoed with his voice.

…

….

"…there is nothing I can do for her…"

Naruto's eyes widened at Sasuke's words.

"How do you know?" he hissed back, "how do you know there is nothing you can do for her? You haven't even _tried_."

"Are you saying that you're useless to her?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at Sai's question.

"I am not weak."

"I didn't say you were weak." Sai pointed out, a finger raised at the Uchiha.

"I merely asked you if you meant that you are useless to hag."

A silence stretched on.

…

…

…

"There is nothing I can do for her." Sasuke said calmly, plucking himself off Naruto. Turning to them, he said in a steady voice.

"If there was something, I would have done it already."

**(A/N): So, how was it? Good? Sasuke OOC? There's a reason later on. I personally didn't think he was _that_ OOC. In fact, he talks, you know. Just not a lot. But like Itachi, he's a man of few words. And what exactly does he mean when he didn't have anything he could do for Sakura? Hhmmmm....this gets interesting. Ah well. Since I'm feeling nice...a little sneak peek at MY current draft (which is chapters and chapters ahead):**

One hand on the wall supporting herself, Sakura felt her neck with the other, trembling. What had he meant? He was so different from Deidara and Kisame. This man did not have their humanity. He did not seem human at all.

..*...*..

**_Don't hold the weapon, Sakura._**

**_ Don't._**

_ **It's not for you.**_

**_ Not for your hands._**

**_ Not for your soul._**

**_ Sakura…_**

..*...*..

The hypnotic eyes showed interest. "Clever, Haruno."

"Though I don't really like being used like a puppet," she winced, "I will obediently stay as bait. But I want something else in return."

"And what is that?"

She took a deep breath.

"You will let me extract the kyuubi from Naruto. Alone."

..*...*..

**And that's all, ne! Ja! REVIEW, onegaishimasu!**


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N): heheh...ugh...gomenasai. This is very late. I know. Gomenasai. Well, enjoy.

Disclaimer: oh yeah. forgot. no own. Except Megumi-san.

* * *

It was night. The moon reflected on the ocean's surface. The waves rolled calmly and lapped against the beach. The forest was quiet, and the silence was comfortable. The sky was a dark blue and the scattered stars made a trail.

Sakura mildly wondered if the trail let to a certain place. A peaceful place, where there were no hurt and no betrayal. Where there was only harmony.

Perhaps the trail led to heaven.

Shaking her head slightly, she climbed out of her window.

Sure she couldn't escape; Deidara had secured the chakra bounds once more. But he had said that she could wander around if she wanted.

As long as she was within a mile of this house.

Feet touching the soft ground, she took off her sandals. It was a breezy night, and the grass felt warm on her feet.

Would the sand down by the beach feel any better?

The beach wasn't that far down; it was within a mile.

The silence felt comfortable.

A few feet away from where the tide came up to, Sakura stood. Her shoulder-length hair and white dress that she'd found in her room blew to her right as the wind circled around her.

She stared at the moon's reflection on the water's surface, deep in thought.

What might Naruto be doing now?

Would he be worried, shouting and whining to let Tsunade-shishou let him come after her? Or was he already on his way?

Sakura closed her eyes and the corners of her mouth tipped up slightly at the thought of a worn-out and frantic Naruto speeding around the Hokage tower, demanding permission to go after her.

She just hoped that he wouldn't come after her without letting shishou know.

Her brows furrowed as she frowned. She had done all she could to make sure Naruto became first ANBU Captain. She remembered that year all too well. Everyday, before the sun rose, she would go to his apartment and wake him up for training. In the afternoons, she would take him to Neji and Lee, then it was Shikamaru and Kakashi at night. This went on for four months, until she decided that it was time to change.

So for the next three months, it was Sai and her in the morning, Tenten and Chouji in the afternoons, and then Shino and Kiba at night. The memory of Naruto whining about all the work sent a small smile on Sakura's face.

After them came the trip to Sand. Temari and Kankuro were enough to wear Naruto out, even though the blonde had wanted to visit the Kazekage, Gaara. There had been occasional visits within the three months where Gaara would talk to Naruto about his responsibilities and how to manage the work he had. Sakura didn't know what they'd talk about, because she hadn't been allowed to hear.

For the leftover two months, she'd decided to let Naruto go on missions with her and Sai. Tsunade had asked her about adding Yamato or Kakashi, but Sakura had said no. This was her chance to help Naruto, and she wanted to do a good job by herself. Besides, Kakashi had already helped Naruto, and Yamato was always disappearing and reappearing due to ANBU schedules.

She'd promised Naruto that she would help him as best as she could, and he had agreed.

She never once regretted her actions during that year.

Not once had she regretted her harsh decisions and temper flares at Naruto.

Not once had she regretted dragging him out of bed and throwing him into the bathroom so that he could wash up and prepare for the morning's training.

As much as she hated to admit, she couldn't escape. She wasn't strong enough. If she even crossed the mile boundary, Deidara would be on her immediately. She'd won that time only because he'd underestimated her, and she'd used a very sensitive topic against him.

But in order to win, you must do everything that you can. You must hold your opponents' weaknesses as your own weapons.

The weaker they were, the more chances for you to win.

To be invincible, you must have no weaknesses.

"That is true." A quiet deep voice came from behind her.

Sakura stiffened. That was when she realized that she'd spoken her last thought out loud. Though it had been a whisper, he'd obviously heard it.

It took all her self control to keep from shaking in terror.

"Uchiha Itachi." She addressed him politely, not turning to look at him.

"Haruno Sakura." He said back, then added, "Kisame."

The shark man appeared beside Sakura before she had time to sense him.

Down came Samehada.

And Sakura's vision went dark as her mind went blank.

* * *

_He came closer, eyes as dark as it had been the last time she saw him. His hair had grown a bit longer, and his dark shirt and white shorts were replaced with an ANBU suit._

_"Sakura…" The whisper sent shivers down her back._

_She wished he could say her name once more._

_"Sakura…come back with me…"_

_She watched as he came closer, holding out a hand, a small, warm smile on his face._

_Her own hand reached out towards him._

_**Thank you.**_

_Her hand stopped in the air. He'd also stopped. She watched him as he started fading away._

_**Sakura, thank you.**_

_Tears spilled over her eyes as she tried to keep her face calm._

_He continued to fade._

_"Come back…"_

_It was no use, her vision was blurring at the same time he was disappearing right in front of her._

_She tried to make the words come out._

_"Come…back……."_

_"…Sasuke…"_

* * *

She woke with a start, eyes wide, chest rising up and down as she panted.

Another dream.

Another dream of him.

Automatically, unconsciously, the back of her hand came to rest on her forehead and eyes.

_Why?_

Why was she having such dreams? Could it be that she still harbored feelings for him? Otherwise, there would be no reason for these dreams, would there?

She closed her eyes, opened them, closed them, and opened them again.

She was back in her room.

Last night's events came rushing back to her.

She'd only seen a flash of blue and Samehada before she'd fallen unconscious.

Itachi and Kisame were back.

How pleasant. Now she could interrogate the two who had kidnapped her.

Swinging her legs out of bed, her eyes swept around the room.

It was as it always was, white. The big wooden closet was still there. The wooden table with the small mirror was still there.

Opening the closet, Sakura surveyed the clothing in it.

Whoever had prepared clothing for her must have done it with a cruel joke in mind. There were several kimonos and yukatas with matching loose slacks. Then there were the traditional black mesh shirts with the traditional black pants.

Sighing, she went in and took out a gold yukata with a crimson obi that was decorated with black butterflies. She had to admit, it was a very delicate and pretty piece of clothing, made in silk. Finishing with the obi, she pulled on a pair of loose black slacks.

On her little wooden table were boxes containing—as far as she could tell—ornaments. Picking through a box, she found a golden comb. She twisted her hair and placed the comb in carefully.

Now…breakfast.

* * *

Itachi calmly sipped his tea as Kisame was filled in on the details about the battle that had taken place the day Deidara came back from his mission with Tobi.

Speaking of which, the orange-masked man was nowhere to be seen. Deidara said that he'd left the day he came back to see Leader for something important. But what it was about, he didn't have the slightest clue. Perhaps it was about their goal. Akatsuki's goal. Itachi frowned. He'd have to investigate further into this. Whatever Tobi—Madara—was planning, he'd have to figure out.

"…and then I told her that she was just as bad as that idiot Sasori about true art, yeah." Deidara said.

"Hah!" Kisame laughed, voice filled with mock. "And that is how you got beaten, was that right, bomb boy?"

"Hey! If she hadn't used that on me, I would've won, yeah." Deidara shot back.

"Better remember that next time, Deidara, or she'll kill you so swiftly you wouldn't have enough time to say 'yeah'." Kisame joked, taking a big gulp of sake.

Deidara mumbled under his breath but returned to eating his breakfast. Kisame laughed once more but let the matter drop. For now.

That was when the three of them sensed Sakura's signature.

"The kunoichi's finally up, yeah." Deidara said through a mouthful of food, "I didn't think I'd be able to stand another word from you."

"_I_ want to know her side of the story." Kisame jeered, and chuckled as Deidara's mouth gave a twitch at the corner.

They waited patiently as the door slowly slid open and a slim figure stepped in.

Itachi observed the medic-nin's attire. Her bangs framed her pace perfectly. The yukata fitted her perfectly, complimenting her curves and small waist that the obi hadn't failed to show. The blank pants, although a bit long, was loose and the soft material rippled as she moved.

She appeared to be thinking about something, because she stopped in shock at the sight of him, Deidara, and Kisame sitting by the table. Itachi watched in mild amusement as her eyes widened, and then narrowed.

"Deidara-san, Kisame-san, and Itachi-san." She greeted them, then crossed the room from Deidara's side of the table to slide open the door to the kitchen. Stepping into the kitchen, she slid the door shut sharply.

That all but happened within a minute.

That was when Deidara started laughing.

"You won't be able to get the story out of her, Kisame, yeah." He said.

"What do you mean, hm, bomb boy?" Kisame snapped in return.

"When I asked her how she got here, she got all pissed and said to 'ask the bastard who kidnapped' her." Deidara gestured to the Mist-nin and the Uchiha, "which would be the two of you, because when you guys came back, Itachi had greeted her and told Kisame to drain her chakra." Deidara held out his hands, "and the two of you knew about her before me, and I was the first person she saw when she awoke here. So obviously, the mission had been yours."

Seeing Itachi's questioning look, he said, "She's not as weak as you think. I fought with her, and I'd underestimated her. And the result of underestimating her isn't pleasant. Obviously she knows that—"

"That the two of you are the ones who kidnapped me." Sakura said calmly from the doorway.

She wasn't angry, or scared. All that showed in her eyes was a steady calculating. Itachi mildly wandered if she was calculating about a way to kill them or about escaping.

"What are you thinking about, kunoichi?" Kisame asked, saving Itachi's need to open his mouth. "Because if you want to escape or kill us, it wouldn't work."

The Leaf nin looked at the Mist, amusement in her eyes. "Oh, I know. It would be foolish for me to attack because all three of you are stronger than me. And if I escaped, Deidara-san would know where I am, and he would be on me the instant I cross the mile boundary."

Kisame smiled. "Clever, better than the last time I saw you…kunoichi."

Something flitted across the kunoichi's face, but she didn't say anything as she walked across the room once more to open the door to the hallway.

"Where'd you think you're going, then?" Kisame asked.

"My room." The pink-haired young woman stated without hesitating. Sliding the door open, she stepped through, turned around, gave a small bow, and slid the door shut.

That all but happened in two minutes.

* * *

Sakura leaned outside the window and she took a bite of the peach in her hand.

She had to find a way to get out.

Certainly escaping the traditional way wasn't going to work; they would be on her before she even gets halfway to Konoha. But above all else, she didn't have a clue where she was.

Besides trying to escape, she also had to find out the reason—or reasons—why she was kidnapped here. Why the Akatsuki's Leader wanted her, and what position she was supposed to have if she joined.

If she joined, wouldn't that be betraying Konoha?

But what if she made a deal with the Leader? Could she? Would the Akatsuki Leader kill her just for that?

For all she knew, whoever could control the Akatsuki members must be someone scarier than all of them put together. This particular person was someone who, like the Akatsuki, could kill without hesitating or regretting their decision.

Taking another bite of her peach, she savored the sweet flavor and licked the liquid that was trickling slowly down her finger. Chewing, she was about to take another bite when she noticed a new chakra signature in her room.

Turning around, peach still in hand, she greeted him politely. "Itachi-san."

"Haruno Sakura." He said in turn. Then, he looked around, observing her room, taking in the little details that only his Sharingan eyes can take in.

Speaking of which, Sakura wondered if Sasuke's eyes are now like this. She'd only received news that he killed Orochimaru. Surely he couldn't have done it with only the Sharingan? He must've got the Mangekyou Sharingan by now.

She watched as the older Uchiha finished his observation and tensed as those eyes moved onto her. Something about his stare often made her feel as if her body was on fire, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Sakura wondered what it might be. But what he said next made her feel as if a bucket of cold water was dumped right onto her.

"Leader-sama wants to know if you are willing to join Akatsuki."

* * *

The rest of the journey was silent. Not once had Naruto spoken to Sasuke. The two of them were silent, and stayed far away from each other. The quietness was unsettling. Kakashi felt as if he was stuck between two active bombs. His eyes slid to the other member of the four-people team. Sai seemed the least affected of them all. The fake smile on his face, he leaped through the trees with ease, oblivious to the anger that Naruto was concentrating on containing and the indifference attitude Sasuke was putting on.

The Copy-ninja let out a small sigh. Perhaps it was time he talked to the three young men about this situation. There was no way they would be able to get Sakura back if they didn't cooperate properly. To all four of them, Haruno Sakura was a sensitive topic, but it had to be discussed. This indifference between the three of them was unacceptable.

He stopped, causing the other three to stop as well. Two turned to look at him. The third stared ahead, onyx eyes blank and long bangs covering his face.

"We will stop now. I know of a village nearby with an inn. We'll stay there tonight." Kakashi stated, voice slightly muffled by the cloth covering half his face. The three young men nodded, and the four took off.

Megumi heard her inn door open, and she hurried to greet her customers.

"Welcome…" her voice trailed off at the four men before her.

"Four rooms, please," the gray-haired man said.

"Hai," Megumi said without missing a beat. Indicating with her hands, she said, "This way, please."

Showing them their rooms, she waited for them to check it and nodded at their calm 'Arigato's. Then, as they entered, she walked back to her counter and wrote down their descriptions in a notebook hidden beneath the table.

After finishing, she closed the notebook and placed it back into its hiding place.

It was common sense. Megumi knew, for all her 30 years as inn keeper, that her customers were all shinobi.

And on several occasions, her customers were linked with each other one way or another.

* * *

(A/N/): ugh...so...I know Akatsuki don't bother asking if one wants to join or not, but you know, I just wanted to make a conversation? It actually as a purpose, you know. Anyways, we have ANOTHER new character. And ONCE AGAIN she is mine. She is actually a very useful and very cool person. You'll know soon. But before then, review and tell me which other story I should start posting and updating. Dunno what I'm talking about? Have you read any of my author's notes yet? No? Well, just visit my account. But I'd rather you REVIEW first. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!


	8. Chapter 8

(A/N): I'm so sorry. Gomenasai. It's just....I'd planned to update on 3/14....but it happened to be the day my favorite teacher passed away. I had forgot to update, and only heard of the sad news two days later, which sorta left me in a mess. He was a great teacher, and my whole grade cried for him. He was the type of teacher who was not too strict but wasn't slacky, the type that understood what type of jokes and gossip students heard and/or liked, the type who would always say "Good luck, guys" during the most unexpected moments on a test day. My friend, after hearing, cried the whole night and called me for comfort. Our teacher donates thousands of US dollars to Lesotho in Africa each year so that the poor African kids could go to school for free....Guess the Lesotho children's favorite benefactor won't be able to be sending them any more 'gifts', now, would he? He died of a heart attack during his sleep on his favorite day. The infuriating thing was that someone had stolen money from him and 6 golden rings.....which left me pissed after watching that news on tv. Thank god the bastard was caught. Yes, we all know economy is bad right now, but to steal from a dead person? And a great person at that? Not likely to be forgiven, that dude. Anyways...so I hope this update would satisfy you all, and an oneshot would be posted soon. It's called Bandit 7. Guess what it's about?

Disclaimer: no own.

* * *

Kakashi closed the door behind him and faced the three sitting cross-legged in the room, not looking at each other nor looking at him.

Sitting down, the one Sharingan-wielder spoke.

"We are here on a mission to retrieve Haruno Sakura, not to fight with each other." His eyes swept to the blonde and the Uchiha.

"Haruno Sakura is not of my business."

Naruto's lowered head shot up, "Teme, how could you?! Sakura's our teammate!"

"She is a Konoha nin, isn't she?" Sasuke said back, "A missing-nin has no purposes rescuing a nin from the village they escaped from. I have my own goal."

"You and your fuc—"

"Naruto." Kakashi interrupted him, and the fox boy slid back into silence, tears falling silently.

"This mission does not need to involve emotions, dickless. It's only a mission to get hag back." Sai said.

"But it seems like Sasuke does not have the same intention," Kakashi said, seeing how the Uchiha was glaring at them all.

"I only want my brother dead."

"We know that, Sasuke," the gray-haired man said, "but some things must be taken care of first. It is likely that Sakura was taken as bait to lure Naruto into their trap. If you are to continue with us, Sasuke, it will eventually take you to your brother."

"But think of what will happen after you have murdered Itachi, Sasuke. What will you do? What will your purpose be? You will have no purpose, no goal. No reason. Are you so sure this is what you want?"

Sasuke's eyes flashed red. "Are you questioning me?" he hissed.

"No I'm not," Kakashi wasn't intimidated by the danger in the glare, "all I'm saying is that even if you do finish your goal, you will still be taken back to Konoha and be punished for your betrayal."

"Nani?!" Naruto shouted, but Kakashi continued.

"Depending on the severity of your betrayal, the Hokage-sama will decide on the severity of the punishment."

"Wouldn't it be wise to perform a good deed to be sure that you could escape the most sever punishments? After all, Sakura _is_ Tsunade-sama's apprentice, and the both of them have a mother-daughter relationship. She would have to give you less severe punishment on behalf of you as a part of the rescue team saving Sakura."

"I am not afraid of death."

"But if you die, Sasuke, that will only mean that Itachi still won, dead or alive. He's killed your whole clan, hasn't he? You are only a toy that he wants to play with before you—I'm sure he's certain—die. You are just a—"

"Shut up."

Kakashi stopped at the sudden snarl. Sasuke was standing now, facing him, Sharingan blazing.

"I. Am. Not. A. Toy." The young man bit out.

"I am not weak," Sasuke continued, "I am not a toy that Itachi can play with for fun."

"_I am not useless._"

The hiss hung in the air.

That was when Sai chose to speak.

"If being weak angers you so…." He said, twirling with a kunai.

"….think what it must feel like for Sakura."

Kakashi couldn't make out what the look Sasuke gave Sai meant.

* * *

Itachi watched as the kunoichi's eyes widened.

"…join Akatsuki?...." she choked out.

He simply blinked and continued to look at her, waiting for her answer.

Instead, she said, "I….still need some time to…think about my answer."

Something flickered through Itachi's eyes.

"You need more time." He repeated, eyeing her in a strange way.

That was when it occurred to Sakura that she was talking to Itachi. Not that talking was forbidden with the older Uchiha, but it was…strange. In her mind, Uchiha Itachi was labeled an S-class criminal, a traitor, the man who ruined Sasuke's life, the emotionless man that had fought her, Naruto, Kakashi, and Chiyo-san back when she defeated Sasori. He was a man that could kill her right now, if she said the wrong thing.

She had not expected him to be able to speak at all, considering his—or so she thought—dislike for any conversation.

The position she was in was dangerous, like she was in the center of a closely clustered group of explosive bombs. Make a wrong move, and you die.

But Uchiha Itachi seemed to be on—civilized—terms with her right now. But that was only because she was needed. She was a useful tool. Sakura knew that if she wasn't wanted by their Leader, then he would no doubt kill her right here, right now.

So she decided to push her luck further—"Why am I needed?"

That was when Itachi's Sharingan eyes blared at her, and she quickly looked at her feet, not wanting to meet the Mangekyou. Perhaps she shouldn't have done that.

* * *

"You will know soon." And with that, he was gone, leaving the young woman staring at the spot where he had been standing, clearly unsatisfied with his answers.

"Sai, scout this village. See if you can track or find anything helpful." Kakashi ordered. Said boy gave a curt nod and leaped out the room's window. Turning to Naruto, the man sad, "I will search outside the village. I trust the both of you to keep this room in one piece, as well as your bodies." And with that, he was gone.

The room, filled with only two men, was quiet. Neither had moved nor said a thing.

One with blonde hair and light blue eyes sitting on one side of the room.

The other with dark eyes and hair, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Tell me…."

"…more about her."

Naruto lifted his sad eyes to meet the darker ones.

The dark boy was giving him an incomprehensive stare.

Sasuke half expected the blond to question him why, but to his relief, Naruto only looked down.

But what the blonde said was still unexpected.

"You have no right to know about her…."

"……_**teme**_….."

* * *

Naruto waited for it. The anger. He knew it was coming, and he wanted it to come. He wanted Sasuke to anger up so that there would be a good excuse to kick his ass as thoroughly as Naruto knew he and his kyuubi could.

But the dark boy only stared at him.

"What, no hurt ego?" Naruto hissed, laughing darkly.

"After all you've done to her, you want to _know more about her_? What type of person are you? Wait—I'm sorry. I forgot you aren't human at all."

He knew he had to do this, to make this a low blow. But right now he was blaming Sasuke and all he could think of was blaming him.

"You are only a tool, just like Itachi wanted you to be."

Naruto saw Sasuke twitch and one of his hands flew to the katana strapped behind his back.

But what surprised him was when Sasuke's hand hesitated, then dropped to his side.

"What's wrong with you, teme? Unsheathe it." Naruto stood up and walked over. His insides were cold, but not cold as in ice cold. It was as if a fire burned too strong it felt cold. What he was feeling now, he couldn't describe. His hate towards Sasuke, his brother-sister relationship towards Sakura, his hope of getting Sasuke back, his hope of getting Sakura back…

Too much. Simply too much.

"Unsheathe the damn katana," Naruto hissed out.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Killing you would only minimize the chances of getting Itachi."

There was nothing about 'Sakura', nothing about 'emotions', nothing about him, nothing at all concerning them as team 7 in his reason. Just Itachi. Always Itachi.

If he ever saw Itachi, Naruto knew that he would let his kyuubi take over and kill the damned Mangekyou-wielder.

* * *

The sun shone with a warm glow. The shadow of the leaves danced on the grass floor as the wind blew. The leaves' rustling harmonized with the chirping of birds faraway. The building, standing forlornly between the vast ocean and the forest, was quiet as usual. No traveler would have thought it hosted a group of elite ninja by its appearance. The building, like its surroundings, looked friendly and harmless, but deep within, it was deadly.

Nothing was safe.

Itachi knew danger. All his life he was in danger. From his childhood to now. Never once had he felt safe. He cannot remember the meaning of the word 'safe'.

Sitting beneath a big oak tree, with its leaves shading him from the sun, Itachi closed his eyes. The morning's events replayed in his mind.

_"Her answer?"_

_The pitch-black room with the flickering candle flames gave off a sinister feeling. But to Itachi, this feeling was normal. He's felt it all his life._

_Without meeting Pein's eyes, Itachi looked at him fully in the face._

_"She requests for time to consider her decision."_

_"Very well." The other man nods in approval, eyes never leaving Itachi's face. "Such questions should not be given a hurried answer."_

_"Tell her that she only has a week. You will ask again when a week has passed."_

_They stayed in that position for some time, simply staring at each other, each thinking their own thoughts when Pein's ring started to glow._

_"It seems I have some business to attend to," he said coolly, and with a nod, disappeared from the room as suddenly as he had came._

_Only then did Itachi close his eyes._

The kunoichi, Haruno Sakura. Itachi vaguely remember seeing her that day when she, the kyuubi, the Copy Ninja, and the Sand ninja was going after the shukaku.

To tell the truth, he was surprised she had remained somewhat polite with him throughout the past two days when she was brought here. He knew that she knew who he was, and he knew that she was well aware of the position she was in. She hadn't tried to escape; could it be that she knew it was useless to do so? Despite stating that she knew it was obvious that escaping wasn't the best option, an ordinary shinobi would have made it for their windows already.

Nonetheless, it was none of his business, and it wasn't his nature to pry into others' as well.

Itachi allowed himself to relax and drown into the peace around him.

* * *

Sakura sighed once more.

How did she get here again?

Everywhere around her were trees, trees, and trees.

"I swear I was here a few minutes ago." She whispered to herself as she lifted a branch out of her face and was about to continue when something caught her eye.

Uchiha Itachi.

An Uchiha Itachi, sitting underneath a big oak tree, partly shaded by the branches, with his eyes closed.

In other words, sound asleep.

Isn't this something….

Should she just walk on? What if he wakes up? Would he think she was escaping?

Apparently, she hadn't had any intention of doing so. It was just that she happened to be curious about the forest and wondering if there was a training ground or not. So she had asked the blonde Akatsuki for permission to 'go on a tour' and Deidara had, somewhat suspiciously, gave her a wink and wished her a 'nice journey'.

Now she could see why. Once you step into the forest, there was no way out. Unless you happen to be, well, Akatsuki.

But she was thought to be capable of being one, so she ought to know how to get out anyways, right?

Maybe she should just try and find her way out again. By herself.

But the notion of asking someone for help was so tempting, Sakura found herself wiling to face death and wake Itachi for help.

He wouldn't get mad if she woke him up, would he?

What if he does?

Deciding that her life was worth more than her ego, Sakura took a step forward—

—but tripped over a stone and fell flat onto the grass floor.

"Ow…" she wined and got onto her knees, brushing dirt off the front of her white shirt.

Too bad she didn't notice a certain someone's eyes flicker open.

* * *

(A/N): uh-oh...what's Sakura gonna do? Next chapter would be more ItaSaku interaction. and maybe even.....(grin evilly) a kiss? Oooh...._maybe_ there is one....hmmm....i'm not _sure_.....anyways.

BTW, I just wanted to take the time to THANK ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED MY STORY. thank you all. there are a few who seem very passionate about this story.....and do tell if I am doing a good job of entertaining you all. thank you once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**(A/N): So, my concert is done, and I'm all back to normal schedule and fooling around! I' d planned on updating it the day OF my concert, like, right after? But it was really late in the night and I was tired to the extreme so I give you guys the chappie today on 4/19~~!**

**Thx to all those who reviewed! I hadn't expected this story to have a two-digit number of reviews already cuz to me it really isn't that good. Why? Cuz this is only the beginning so it isn't as exiting. The fun part is coming, though. Teehee!**

**Disclaimer: no own duh.

* * *

**

He knew she was there, and he merely pretended he was sleeping to see what her action would be.

She was obviously lost; he heard her say so when she came into view. Every new member of the Akatsuki has been in this forest before, and, if they were wiling to admit, they'd all been lost before. She wasn't the first one. Itachi himself had also lost his way the first time he was in here, but during the second time, he was able to find his way. And during that second trip, he discovered many surprises hidden in this forest.

The kunoichi has stopped moving, strangely. Lifting his eyes slightly, Itachi watched as the kunoichi regarded him with a strange look. It was almost as if she was calculating something. What it was, he didn't know, but he wanted to see what her next reaction was.

That was when she took on a determined look in her eyes and took a step, when Itachi saw her trip over a stone and fall.

So, the kunoichi wanted to try and find her way out of the forest by herself.

He shouldn't want to help, right?

But somehow, his body didn't listen to him, and he found himself opening his eyes completely.

* * *

Dinner was quiet at the Akatsuki table. An orange-masked man sat opposite a blonde, who was stuck in-between a pink-haired young woman and a black-haired man. Next to the orange-masked man, was a blue man who seemed content on simply grinning and giving out occasional chuckles. The only reason why Tobi was so silent was because he'd encountered the dark side of a Leaf kunoichi just a while before dinner, and he was still trying to get over the nightmare-became-reality.

Deidara felt very uncomfortable. The pink-haired nin on his left was eating her meal silently, slightly tense at the attention she was receiving from Kisame. The dark-haired man on his right was as silent, but he was relaxed and looked—somewhat—grim.

Deciding to break the silence, the blonde turned to the kunoichi and asked, "So Sakura, did you manage to find your way out, yeah?"

That was when Kisame let out a guffaw and the said person beside Deidara tensed visibly.

Deidara gulped as the pink-haired girl turn to look at him with a forced smile. He swore he saw a vein pop on her forehead before she answered him.

"No, Deidara-san. I had Itachi-san's help."

"A—ah! I see. No need to look at me like that, yeah. I was just…uh…curious, you know! Curious, yeah!"

"Curiosity kills the cat." A silent warning came from his right side.

Kisame let out another laugh as Tobi muttered about getting bashed in the head again.

Deidara realized that he shouldn't have spoken. Now he wasn't sitting between two silent people. He was sitting between two silent people, one with a murderous aura and one with an annoyed expression on his face.

The two people on both sides of him continued eating in silence, both reminiscing what had occured earlier.

* * *

She knelt, frozen as Itachi slowly stood up.

Standing exactly where he was, he said, "You won't be able to find your way out alone."

"I never remembered asking for help, Itachi-san." Sakura snapped out. Then she realized that she probably shouldn't have done that if she valued her life. Quickly, she looked down at her clenched hands in case he felt the need to activate his Mangekyou on her.

' Look what you and your temper got you into!' she berated herself.

**'It seems worth it.' **

'You! I don't need you right now!'

**'I mean it, girl. Look at him. He's considering whether or not he should give you a hand.'**

And Sakura did look. The look on the Uchiha's face was incomprehensible.

'Just because he thinks I'm pathetic doesn't mean he should offer help. I don't need it!' she thought stubbornly to herself. With that, she got up abruptly, turned around, and proceeded to walk back where she came from.

"That direction will only lead you to the center of the forest..." His quiet voice came.

"I can find my own way back, Itachi-san."

"If you were to go missing, Leader-sama would not be pleased, Sakura-san."

"I'm sure I won't get lost, Itachi-san."

That was when Itachi let his eyes fall upon the kunoichi's face. Despite the smile, he could clearly see the discomfort in her eyes. What could possibly be disturbing her? After all, if she wanted help, he might as well give it, considering being on the bad side of Pein isn't something one would wish to befall them.

Then he gave a smirk. If the kunoichi wanted to try her best, so be it. By the time she realizes she needs help, he'll come help her. No need to insist on giving her help at a time like now.

"As you wish." And he walked off in the other direction, before masking his chakra signature so that she wouldn't realize he would be following her.

But first, he must pay a visit to Megumi.

* * *

Itachi leaped through the trees, staring ahead.

Kosuke Megumi, an inn hostess on the outside, a hired spy on the inside. It happened out of sheer luck. He and Kisame had been staying at the inn when the old lady came in with some tea. The old lady had said his name and Kisame's as if she'd known them all her lifetime. Then Itachi had realized that Megumi and him had met before. It was then that a plan developed in Itachi's mind and he hired the old spy to work for him.

As usual, Megumi was waiting for him at the edge of the forest, where the bridge separated the Akatsuki base from the village. Her brown cloak, covering the pale yellow kimono and white obi underneath, fluttered with the wind. Her face was partially hidden inside the cloak.

She smiled calmly at Itachi, who landed silently next to her.

"Megumi-san." He greeted, nodding to her.

"Itachi-san." She nodded back, and from her cloak, she withdrew a black notebook and handed it to Itachi.

"Will your brother ever come, Itachi-san?" she asked.

"Hn."

So Megumi waited patiently as Itachi read the notebook. It was only a matter of time before Itachi closed the notebook and handed it back to the old woman.

"Arigato." He said, and prepared to leave.

Then he stopped, turned around and said, "I will be visiting with a partner tomorrow. Make your best effort to see to it that they stay."

"Hai, Itachi-san." The old lady replied, and Itachi left.

Now he could get back to the pink-haired kunoichi who was—obviously—

* * *

"LOST." Sakura muttered.

Shoulders slumped, she turned her head to her left. To her right. Left again. Up. Down.

Wasn't she here a while ago?

A dark aura appeared around her as the birds in the trees flew off, scared of what was coming.

"DAMN IT!!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

* * *

The sky was slowly getting into its full blare of the sun. From the Akatsuki building, Deidara could hear the waves crash against the stones down at the beach. It was already an hour past lunch. Had the kunoichi gotten out yet or not?

The bomb genius looked out the window of his room.

He hoped Sakura wouldn't take too long.

* * *

Itachi wondered how much longer it would be until the kunoichi realizes his presence. He had purposely exposed most of his signature. After leaving Megumi-san, he'd taken his time to hunt down the pink-haired girl. Once he'd found her, he'd kept his chakra signature hidden until a few minutes later, when he decided that he wanted to see the kunoichi's potential by letting his guard down a little bit.

Now seems a good time to help her, since he'd missed one meal already just 'looking after her' like Leader-sama had ordered before he was sent to get her.

Sakura whirled around as someone leaped down to stand behind her.

Her eyes widened.

"Itachi-san?"

He inclined his head, and looked around at the surroundings as if he had just arrived.

"Hn."

Sakura continued to stare at him until he turned around. "Wa—" she started to say before she was cut off.

"Follow me." He instructed silently, and began to walk away.

Sakura stood rooted in place. Did Uchiha Itachi, **the** Uchiha Itachi, just told her to follow him? Was he **helping** her? Why?

But before she could think any further, the said man turned back and gave her a look clearly portraying his annoyance at having to wait for her. Not wanting to infuriate him further, Sakura quickly followed him.

* * *

**( 20 minutes later…)**

It had remained this way; with Itachi walking one or two feet ahead and Sakura trailing behind, with a peevish look on her face. She was about to ask him something when the Uchiha suddenly stopped.

"We are almost there." He announced, turning his head a bit to show Sakura his left eye, silently warning her not to whine.

Itachi watched as Sakura's expression turned from peevish into angry. Within those 20 minutes, he'd realized that the pink-haired girl could be angered fairly easily.

Speaking of which, it brought him back to the time when he heard her say that she was pissed with Sasuke.

"You are right," he said to her. Directing his gaze to the front, he continued walking.

"…nani?"

"Sasuke," he said, "my foolish otouto _is_ an extra puzzle piece on the puzzle board."

"…how did you know of this?" Sakura's voice was dry and suspicious.

"The plan to kidnap you had to be well-planned. Therefore, Kisame and I spent some time watching you until we were given the right opportunity to carry out our mission."

Sakura couldn't believe it. They had to make sure she was gone without being suspected? Why? Were they afraid that Konoha would send shinobi after her? Impossible. The only people coming after her would probably be Naruto, and with so many people to control him, he'd never make it out the Konoha Gate.

Oh, she knew all right. She was never important. Well, not really. She was a friend, a good medic-nin, an ANBU captain with good skills and tactics, but that was about it. She wasn't some type of genius like Shikamaru, a skilled medic like her shishou, nor was she as outstanding an ANBU captain as Naruto. She was nothing compared to them. She wasn't really needed. If Konoha wanted another good medic-nin, Hinata or Ino would suffice.

She'd said so herself that she would exterminate the extra puzzle pieces on the board. But being useless makes her an extra puzzle piece too, right?

Then Sakura realized that a certain Uchiha was studying her. She blushed, scratched the back of her head sheepishly like Naruto, and chuckled nervously. "Y-yeah?"

"Hn." Was all he said, and he continued on.

This silent walk lasted for another few minutes before a question popped into Sakura's mind.

"Ano…Itachi-san," she addressed hesitantly.

"Hn?" he replied without turning back.

"When do I have to give my….answer?"

"In a week's time."

"Oh."

Itachi felt Sakura walk a bit faster, and slanted his glance to his left to find her walking alongside him, a troubled expression on her visage. Why should it concern her? Whatever her answer was, she knew as well as he that if she gave a 'no', the only result was death.

Perhaps the Konoha medic-nin needed to know the reason why she was wanted by the Akatsuki. It was simple, really. Her medic skills were head to head with the Gondaime, and her intelligence could be of great aid—especially if she was paired up with Deidara and Tobi, two brainless men that Itachi would consider unworthy of his attention and time.

But Tobi—Tobi especially, was as much a fool as a five-year-old child. Not only was the man immature, his silly remarks and random statements were enough to make anyone suspicious that he couldn't possibly be such a stupid person. After all, Itachi, a member of the Akatsuki who had joined from the start, knew that Pein would have no need for such foolish men. It was suspicious, and Itachi felt as if something was going on behind the scenes. Now, with all the clues he had, he was sure that Tobi was Madara, his former sensei.

The one who made him murder his clan.

"Itachi-san….Itachi-san…..ITACHI-SAN!"

That broke his train of thoughts, and he turned his head fully to look at the Leaf kunoichi, who immediately looked down.

_She was afraid of him._

It dawned on him that she was wary of him. For what reason? Because of what he'd done to Sasuke? But that would only cause her to hate him, wouldn't it? If she was so in love with his little brother?

"What is it?" he asked.

"I, uh, just wanted to ask, uh, about the reason why I am….wanted by the Akatsuki."

Thinking about what he should say, Itachi stayed silent, studying her profile. Her eyelashes were long, partly covering her eyes because of her lowered lids. A faint blush was visible—Itachi didn't know if it was from the walk or from embarrassment. Whatever it was, it stood out from her alabaster skin—as well as her pink lips. Soft, fragile, they looked exactly the same way he'd seen it before, in Konoha, before the kidnap.

"Itachi-san!" she said again, eyes wide. Itachi blinked. The kunoichi was staring at him, and he knew that she knew he'd been studying her. The faint blush before had deepened into a beet red color. Her green eyes were large and they cast off a sparkly color.

"For your medic skills and good tactics." He answered back steadily.

Sakura continued to stare wide-eyed at him, downright confused.

"B-but..why? I mean, there are a lot of people better than me in Konoha, and I'm sure there are better shinobi suited for this from Suna as well." She said.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. Was she trying to get away from the situation she was in by saying that she wasn't worth their time and attention? But Pein had specifically asked for her.

"I cannot answer that."

"Oh." She said again, then, her eyes perked up and she asked, "do you think I could speak to your Leader?"

That question took him completely by surprise. How was he to know? No newcomer had ever asked him such a question, let alone even dare to do so.

He was about to answer when a dark shape came rushing out behind the unaware kunoichi.

* * *

Sakura had not been prepared for the extra weight crashing down on her.

"SAKURA-SAN!" he shouted before his foot connected with her back—on purposely or on accident, Itachi was not sure.

She didn't have time to react when she felt herself propelled into Itachi, who was just standing there with a poker face.

Instinctively, she reached out to grab onto something—obviously him. Her fingers closed around his shoulders, but that didn't stop the impact. Sakura still fell, bringing Itachi with her. Her eyes widened when her lips crashed onto Itachi's when the both of them hit the forest floor. If she weren't so shocked herself, she would've noticed that the Uchiha's eyes had also widened slightly.

Fortunately, Sakura gathered herself together and immediately leaped off Itachi, landing a few feet away from him—and a few feet away from her attacker—Tobi. Itachi stood slowly, face somewhat resigned once more, and he turned his head to glare pointedly at Tobi, who obviously had some explanation to do.

Tobi gulped as two dangerous auras surrounded him. Even he—foolish as he was—could feel the killing intent in them.

Maybe it was the wrong thing to go after them.

He shouldn't have listened to Kisame-san.

* * *

**(A/N): So that kiss was accidental! And it was short too. oh well, at least it was SOMETHING, right? and what exactly does Megumi and Itachi have to do w/ each other? Anybody care to guess? I'll give a little hit/spoiler: **

****

_"I am not doing this for Akatsuki. In fact, I am only repaying the many debts I owe Itachi-san."_

Megumi san said that.

~OOOH!

btw, does anyone care to take up a bit of their time to read my Bandit 7? it's sitting there all alone w/ only 1 REVIEW. I'd really want to know if peeps like it.

BUT ALSO, REVIEW THIS TOO!

ALSO, I NEED TO KNOW WHICH OTHER STORY TO START WRITING! CHECK OUT MY PROFILE AND GIVE ME UR SUGGESTIONS THROUGH REVIEWS OR PMs PLZ!


	10. Chapter 10

**(A/N): This is an INTERESTING chapter.......I hope it is entertaining for all of you.**

**Pixiedust Visions deserves a THANK YOU for giving me advice on which other story to start working on. THANK YOU!**

**Disclaimer: no own.

* * *

**

The morning greeted Sakura with a cheerful appearance. Birds chirped outside her window, the sun shone brightly, and the breeze was refreshing. She got out of bed and stretched.

Somehow, despite the fair weather, Sakura felt as if something tragic was going to occur today.

A knock on her door, followed by a "Sakura, you awake, yeah?"

"Yeah." She called back.

"Good. Get your skinny body down here. Breakfast's ready." Deidara announced.

Sakura mildly wondered who would've prepared it. Perhaps it was just something bought from the nearby town. Whatever it was, her stomach seemed very willing to meet it. Giving in, Sakura put on a black mesh shirt, black loose pants, combed her hair, went into the bathroom, and came out ready to meet the Akatsuki.

But no matter how many times she washed her face, the gut feeling of something bad happening did not go away, and Sakura had to compose her face before she opened the door.

An arm went around her shoulders, and a warm body pressed into her side,

"Took you long enough, yeah. I was getting older here." Deidara complained.

"And who told you to wait for me, _yeah_?" she asked, mimicking his trademark.

"What? Can't a gentleman act gentlemanly once in a while?" he asked, feigning hurt.

"Now when did you become a gentleman?" Sakura wanted to know, but Deidara only chuckled and lead her downstairs into the living room where the Akatsuki normally ate.

Once she sat down between Deidara and Itachi—everyone besides Tobi noticed that she sat closer to the blonde and further away from the raven-haired—Itachi spoke.

"Pein-san wants me to take you on a mission, Sakura-san," he said steadily, not bothering to acknowledge the fact that the kunoichi choked on her rice and completely ignoring her glare.

"For what reason, Itachi-san?"

"So that you can understand more about Akatsuki missions."

Truly? Was it only that? If so, what was that feeling within her?

"I see...and when do we go?"

"Before lunch. In two hours."

The rest of breakfast was silent.

* * *

Sakura put on her weapon pouch right when a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." she said, turning her head as Itachi stepped in.

Walking to her, he handed her an Akatsuki cloak.

"You are a part of us for the moment," he said, answering her unspoken question.

Nodding silently, Sakura took the cloak from him and put it on.

She mildly wondered if wearing it made her a real traitor to Konoha. After all, she was now 'part of the Akatsuki', and soon, she will be. Honestly and truly, she'd considered it, and from whatever angle of thought she searched for, being in the Akatsuki was the best option so far.

In fact, she could, if she was careful enough, act as a double spy and contact with Tsunade-shishou. In the end, betraying Akatsuki would be a piece of cake.

"Let's go." Itachi's voice shook her from her thoughts, and she returned to reality.

Nodding, she said, "Hai."

* * *

Megumi-san looked up from her reception desk as the four Konoha shinobi walked towards the entrance.

"I don't think it's a wise decision to walk out the door, Konoha shinobi," she said pleasantly, effectively stopping the four men.

"Especially the missing-nin one. If he steps out, who knows? Perhaps the Akatsuki would be on him in an instant." She continued.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly ahead of the other three.

"…Akatsuki, you said?" he bit out.

"Yes," Megumi answered, ignoring the underlying suspicion in his voice. "In fact, if you stay a little longer, something—entertaining—would occur."

In a flash, Naruto was in front of her, hands flat on the desk, face portraying an anxious expression.

"What do you mean by Akatsuki? What entertaining thing? Do you know of a p—" Kakashi managed to cover the blonde's mouth in time before any information about Sakura leaked out.

"Ah, wouldn't you young ones like to know!" Megumi exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Stop playing games, old woman," Sasuke bit out.

"That's not a nice thing to say, Sasuke. Hag would hit you for saying that if you were here," Sai pointed out.

"My, my, young man, you remind me of someone." Megumi cocked her head to one side, kind eyes studying Sasuke with years of practice, "might you be an Uchiha? An Uchiha Sasuke?"

Immediately, everyone stiffened besides the friendly old lady.

"…And how do you know of me?" Sasuke growled.

"Ah," Megumi chuckled.

"..That's my little secret." She said, smiling.

Her facial expression never wavered as Sasuke's katana pressed threateningly against her throat.

"If you all will return to your room and stay for just a bit longer—"

"—I'm sure the surprise would be very pleasing, Itachi-san's little brother."

The four men felt the old lady's friendly smile grow wider.

None of them missed the way her lips turned upwards in a sly—almost deceiving—way.

* * *

Sakura gasped as they entered the small but friendly town.

"This is—this is—"

The town was anything but monochrome. Colorful shops with multicolored lights decorated the single street that seemed endless. Shoppers and pedestrians walked in and out of doorways, with shopkeepers bidding them a nice farewell.

"Come with me," Itachi instructed quietly, walking towards a small building.

"Where—" she was about to ask when she felt him hide his chakra signature. Instantly, she hid hers as well.

"Be quiet," Itachi said as her mouth opened once more. Gulping, Sakura swallowed and nodded. Her eyes shifted around with curiosity. What was going on?

Opening the door of an inconspicuous inn, Itachi stepped in, nodding to the friendly-looking old lady behind the reception desk.

"Ah, Itachi-san, is this your partner for this mission?" she asked.

"Hai."

Sakura politely bowed her head, but looked up when strong—yet wrinkled—fingers forced her chin up.

"I see…" the old lady murmured, "what pretty eyes….nice strong face….definitely…" with that, she walked over to Itachi and murmured something in his ear.

Sakura noticed that the man had to lower his shoulders a bit and the old lady had to stand on her the tip of her feet to whisper in his ear. Despite how funny-looking it was, she knew that right now wasn't the time for laughing.

The strange feeling coursing through her was now even worse, and her stomach was in knots.

What was going on?

* * *

The four men were silent, chakra signature hidden, faces grim.

One was standing, leaning against the wall, blonde head bowed and arms crossed across his chest. Another was sitting cross-legged beside the door, eyes closed, fake smile in place.

One was sitting by the window, a leg raised on the sill, a leg resting on the room floor. One of his arms was resting on the raised knee. His head was lowered, and his bangs covered his face. His hold on his katana never loosened.

The last one, the oldest of them, was also leaning, but leaning on the opposite wall of the blonde young man.

Then, a voice drifted from down the corridor.

"…your partner….mission?"

Kakashi's eyes immediately went to the man by the window, who's hand clenched the katana so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"Hai."

Immediately recognizing the voice, Sasuke's eyes shot open and he made a dash for the door—only to be held back by Sai and Kakashi.

"Listen and observe, Sasuke." Kakashi whispered into the infuriated boy's ear.

Then, as they stood rooted in position, two faint—almost undetectable—pairs of footsteps sounded outside their room—and towards the end of the hallway.

Kakashi released his hold on Sasuke, as did Sai. The missing-nin stepped away from them, but still couldn't do anything because another hand was holding onto his arm. Looking sideways, his own dark eyes met lighter ones, and he watched as they narrowed and flashed red before regaining the usual blue.

They were fully prepared for a meeting with the two Akatsuki, who could only be Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.

But neither of them were prepared for the other voice, questioning Itachi.

"Why are we here, Itachi-san?"

Sasuke watched as Naruto's eyes widened. He watched as tears slipped into them. He watched how Naruto's lips quivered, how he took a deep breathe.

So this was who they were looking for.

Haruno Sakura.

Why, just by the sound of her voice, Sasuke knew she was still as annoying as ever.

* * *

Kakashi was unable to stop the blur from running out the door.

"Naruto!" he shouted.

But Naruto didn't listen. He slammed the door open and jumped out onto the corridor, turning to face the two Akatsuki.

Sky blue met emerald.

Itachi heard Sakura inhale sharply.

"Naruto!" The kunoichi cried out in shock.

"What is the meaning of this, Itachi-san?" she growled under her breath after gathering her wits. So, she knew. How amusing. She knew that this was a test on her loyalties. Of course she was kidnapped and not a willing member, but now, as an 'official' member of the Akatsuki, would she be able to break her bonds?

This was Itachi's test, given permission by Pein.

Sakura's eyes widened even more as Sai and Kakashi stepped out of the room.

But what shocked her even more was the last person to step out.

_Sasuke._

He was exactly as she'd remembered him, yet older. Those same dark eyes, dark hair, white, serious face.

Unforgettable.

"Sasuke…" she breathed, unaware of how Itach's eyes flicked to her face.

He slowly turned towards her and Itachi, hand on his katana, standing next to Naruto. Sai and Kakashi stood behind, with Sai facing the other way in case someone dared interfere.

But who would interfere?

* * *

_Ah, Itachi-san, is this your partner for this mission?_

_What pretty eyes….nice strong face….definitely…_

So, the old lady knew all along.

She was in on it.

Not turning around, Sakura said softly, "This was your plan all along, Itachi-san."

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Itachi nod slightly.

"Why do this?"

"To test your loyalties." Itachi answered calmly.

Sakura felt her hands clench into fists. Shaking ever so slightly, she was about to suggest escaping when Naruto spoke.

"You bastard…"

His tremulous voice broke Sakura's concentration on thinking of a plan, and immediately, she felt herself crumple on the outside.

_No, you mustn't. You must stay strong. Show Itachi you can handle this 'bond' thing as easily as handling a kunai. Then, betray him and Akatsuki. Betray them for Konoha in the end. Always. Stay faithful!!! This must be a perfect act!_

Naruto's eyes became red. He took out a kunai, and leaped.

"HOW DARE YOU TAKE SAKURA!!"

* * *

Itachi dodged the kunai. Turning to the kunoichi, he saw her rooted to spot. Her eyes were still wide, and to his surprise, a droplet or two of tears formed at the corners.

She's not strong enough to break these mere bonds?

How is that possible?

The kyuubi container was coming for him again, and he also felt his little brother and the Copy Ninja get into fighting positions. At least Sasuke had managed to keep calm.

This was going just as planned

Grabbing hold of the Leaf medic, he shook her roughly.

"Fight." He ordered when her eyes came up to meet his own.

Sakura quickly shook her head, wiping away the tears, and took out a kunai from within her cloak.

"Let's do this." She muttered, earning Itachi's nod.

They leaped backwards, further into the corridor. It was too narrow for more than two people; Itachi pushed Sakura behind him, ignoring the shocked gasp.

Sakura was glad that Itachi had blocked her view, otherwise, she wouldn't know how to confront Naruto and Kakashi-sensei without having tears in her eyes and a guilty look on her face.

But what about Sasuke?

But she didn't have time to think as Itachi pushed her back and a very angry Naruto literally jumped on him.

Stumbling, she almost fell when someone grabbed her from behind. Turning around, she stared into the face of Kakashi.

Scrambling out of his grasp, she quickly looked down, trying very hard to control herself.

"Sakura." Kakashi said gently. She gasped. This voice.....

How many times had this voice consoled her? How many times had this voice steadied her? And now she was standing before the person with this voice, possibly needing to...needing to.....

But she didn't need to. It could all be a play. Like the way things already were.

"Kakashi-sensei…"

"It's alright, Sakura. I understand," he said softly. "You have no choice. So do it well."

He....does...?

"Kakashi-sensei." She whispered. Now, without having anyone to look at except for him, she let her tears fall. In that instant, she knew that he understood.

"….Gomenasai…." she hated how her voice cracked. Whatever he knew, if he did know that this was all pretense, that she was only acting, then.....

"I'll be sure to tell Tsunade-sama about this. Don't worry."

So he knew. Sakura relaxed noticeably.

Nodding, Kakashi beckoned with one hand, and she willed herself to charge at him, kunai raised.

He countered it, and aimed a kick at her, which she blocked with her arm. Leaping back, she found herself back-to-back with her Akatsuki partner.

Without saying anything, Itachi whirled around, took Sakura by the shoulders, and turned her towards Naruto and the other two dark-haired boys as he took on Kakashi.

He was met with a chakra-inflated hand, which he twisted away from. Taking the short second before Kakashi redeemed himself, Itachi's eyes shot towards the kunoichi.

What would happen?

* * *

Sakura stared into Naruto's eyes, too afraid to say anything. Afraid that she would crumple even more. Already, the tears were falling silently. Would Itachi suspect anything?

"Sakura…"

Immediately, she took a step back as Naruto took a step towards her. She almost cried out as his face broke into a pained look.

Composing herself, she stared over Naruto's shoulder at Sai as she spoke in a quiet tone.

"Don't expect me to go with you, Naruto."

And with that, she sped towards him, kunai raised.

* * *

Naruto was pushed away by someone—he couldn't see. All he could see was the pain in Sakura's eyes as well as in his own. Why? Why would she do this? Wasn't she in pain? Why would she do this if she didn't…want…to? Then, the image of Sakura and Kakashi just before came into his mind.

Kakashi nodding his head.

Kakashi speaking.

Sakura charging.

Tears.

How…?

Could it be….?

Naruto's eyes widened. New tears began to fall.

Sakura….

Why….

Why do this…?

For me…?

For…..

Konoha…..?

* * *

Sakura found herself facing a pair of dark eyes.

Sasuke.

Jumping back, she crouched and shot three shuriken at him, which he blocked easily.

"Sakura." He said coldly. She stiffened at the all-so-familiar sound.

His voice. So empty. Devoid of emotions.

Without knowing why or how, all the hatred she'd felt for him came rushing back. All the painful memories of being ignored, hated, shouted at. Blinded by rage, she let out a battle cry and charged. All that was in her mind was Sasuke. Killing Sasuke, showing Sasuke the pain that he'd inflicted upon her and Naruto, making Sasuke pay.

Now she could use what Kakashi-sensei had been so nice as to teach her.

"CHIDORI!!!"

* * *

**(A/N): And the chapter ends here. I know, I know, not much, but something to stir you guys up, right? It's a cliffie!!!! I'm so evil....**

**This chapter was hard to write, so if any of you found it bad or anything, please tell me so. Why? Because there will be lots more of this scenario coming up.....ooh! What an excitement!**


	11. Chapter 11

**(A/N): SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! MORE CHITCHAT FROM ME DOWN BELOW. **

**WELL, HERE GOES!**

**Disclaimer: no own

* * *

**

There was once a boy, trying to be a man.

And a girl, trying to be a woman.

He wanted her to be the one that he could rely on.

She wanted him to be the one that needed her.

But the boy didn't need her.

And the girl was too weak to be reliable.

He wanted revenge and satisfaction.

She wanted love and admiration.

None of them had what they needed for each other.

The boy left, the girl remained behind.

He regretted, she cried day and night.

He did not look back, she tried to look ahead.

He hid his feelings, she strengthened hers.

He felt only the want for power and revenge.

She felt only the need to protect everyone that she loved.

He was powerful, she was skilled.

He was weak, and she was strong.

None of them knew each other anymore.

They forgot their needs for each other.

* * *

_"Ne, Sasuke-kun?"_

_He turned around, annoyed once more. She was always there, disturbing him, irritating him._

_How annoying._

_"What is it?"_

Sasuke jumped back to dodge the Chidori, and unsheathed his katana. He leaped, aiming for her arm, but was met with a kunai. Both leaped back, and prepared for the next strike.

This wasn't getting anywhere. Sakura thought as her eyes met emotionless dark ones and she instinctively brought her kunai up to block his katana.

_"I just wanted to say…..Happy Valentines Day!!"_

_"……..Hn."_

I hate you, you know. I seriously do. In fact, I have no idea how I could've been attracted to you before. You're repulsive. Sakura thought as she gritted her teeth and leaped back. Then, as her foot touched the ground, she leaped again, throwing shuriken and performing a genjutsu at the same time.

Sasuke blocked the shuriken easily, and gave her a smirk. That smirk. She knew he would always be so arrogant.

"Don't think that level of genjutsu would work." He said.

_You always ignore me….why?_

_That is because you are annoying….no other reason._

Sakura raked her mind for more strategies, but somehow, her mind was blank. Deciding to take a try, she used the same trick she'd used on Deidara.

"I'm surprised you haven't gone for your brother yet, _Sasuke,_" she spat out his name in disgust. "He's right there, isn't he? You don't really want to fight me. You want him. The desire is more than you could control, no" When he did not respond, she gave a mocking sigh, "Looks like there isn't enough hatred in you after all." She gave a smirk that rivaled Sasuke's. "Such a shame."

By the disbelief displayed in Sasuke's eyes and on Naruto's face, she knew her face was perfect. Good. She needed all she could right now to win. She had to win!

"Why are you fighting me? Go fight your brother! He and Kakashi seem to be fully engaged, right? A kunai would end him, wouldn't it? Easy." Sakura laughed as his katana came again, and she jumped back so that her back was touching Itachi's. There was no time to consider him an ally or an enemy.

At the moment, all that was on her mind was killing Sasuke.

* * *

She didn't notice that the room had gone quiet.

That was when Itachi spoke.

"You don't seem to have any difficulties fighting my little brother." His voice was low, husky, as if the clash with Kakashi was tiring him in some way.

Sakura considered what he had just said. Was she really fine with fighting Sasuke? Of course she was. The reason why? Because…

"_I hate him_."

As she said this, Sasuke's eyes widened slightly.

Itachi digested Sakura's words with care, and made a decision. Today hadn't gone as planned, anyways. Better off get her back to the Akatsuki hideout before something really happens to her. Pein wouldn't be happy if she was injured.

"We must go." He said, starting to perform a jutsu.

"Wh—!" Sakura was about to protest when he finished the jutsu and the both of them disappeared.

The smoke cleared, and there was no Sakura nor Itachi.

…

…

…

No one moved. Kakashi looked at the three young men at the other end of the hall.

One was crying silently. Another confused.

But he couldn't—no matter how—decipher the expression on Sasuke's face.

How amazing—that the emotionless boy would show emotion at a time like this. It wasn't unexpected—he did feel hate, and the object of his hatred had just been here a moment ago—but to see the emotion remain on his face and—

—the fact that the emotion wasn't hatred was what puzzled Kakashi.

He'd seen the boy arrogant, infuriated, and even annoyed. But never had he seen any other emotion before. This was new.

Why was that?

What was it?

Could something have happened between him and Sakura? Itachi hadn't been attacking, and Kakashi knew that this one-on-one wouldn't have a victor; so he had done only the basic attacks and slightly advanced ones to keep Itachi distracted. He had half thought that Itachi wouldn't bother with the small hoaxes…

And what was stranger was that Itachi had kept himself distracted. It was almost as if he didn't want to see the scene behind him. Almost as if he was trying to escape from something.

Or it could be all a trick. A plan to lure them to the Akatsuki so that they could get their hands on Naruto and extract the kyuubi from him.

But what Sakura had said. She was sorry. He knew why, of course. After knowing her for so long, he could understand the situation she was in.

Sakura was one of the strongest women Kakashi had ever known. As a child, she knew she was weaker than everyone else, therefore, she'd decided that she should try walking another path—a path that could make her strong.

During her medic years, she'd grown from a weak girl into a strong young woman. Her hard face bore the fact of witnessing many fights, her body showed numerous scars from many battles. She could be gentle and sweet at times, but when need be, the kind and sweet Sakura would be gone, replaced by a killing machine.

The hidden surface of Konoha's sakura.

So, she would know exactly what to do if she were ever to fall into the situation she was in right now. In fact, Kakashi absolutely agreed with his student; she had to be a spy. Of course, besides being extra careful, she also had to make sure that the lies she would make to the Akatsuki members would never influence her.

"Sakura, be careful…." Kakashi whispered to no one in particular.

* * *

Itachi closed his eyes in annoyance. It had not gone as planned. A pity.

Though he was certain that his brother would've charged at him from first sight—thus destroying the plan—but it was the kunoichi's behavior that had surprised him.

Why had she charged? Itachi had always known that Sasuke was very popular with the feminine race, so wouldn't it be only logical that Sakura was one of Sasuke's fans? In fact, she was supposed to be in love with Sasuke.

Yet, there she had been, charging at him, a killer's aura around her.

It was a mystery to Itachi, and that only increased his curiosity.

Wanting to find out the reason why, he was about to open his mouth and ask when the sight of the kunoichi's current condition stopped him.

Though she was keeping it very silent, it was quite obvious that tears were flowing down in streams that didn't seem likely to end soon. Her hands were clenched by her side, and her ragged breathing was noisy.

The sight of her reaction to the prior encounter caused Itachi's curiosity to take another turn. She was like he was—both Konoha nin, and he knew perfectly well that she hadn't left on her own accord, but she'd already shown that she'd broken her ties from that fight with Sasuke, hadn't she?

Or had she not?

Curiosity won over, and he asked, "Why are you crying?"

Immediately, the ragged pattern of her breath stopped, and a fearful look came into her eyes. Her mouth dropped open in a shocked "o", and she stopped walking.

Itachi stopped in front of her.

When she didn't answer, he asked again, adding a touch of impatience to his voice.

"Nothing. No reason." She mumbled back, looking away from him, lowering her head.

That did not satisfy him, therefore he asked again.

This time, though, the kunoichi did the unsuspected.

"What?! Can't I cry? Is that too much for a going-to-be Akatsuki member? Well, I'm sorry. I used to share wonderful times with them, and you can't expect me to not feel anything for them. After all, I didn't come here on my own decision—you and that shark kidnapped me! So it's not entirely my fault I'm crying, is it? Perhaps your Leader made the wrong choice. Perhaps I'm not qualified. You can tell your Leader that, now, can't you? And then all you guys have to do is get rid of me and find another suitable candidate."

It didn't help that her voice cracked on the last word. Realizing that she was going to totally ruin it, Sakura whirled around and stormed off, leaving Itachi behind.

He was slightly confused. No, one could say that he'd never been this confused before. Her reactions were completely different from the ones that he'd anticipated. Just then, he'd thought she'd give some meek excuse and then change the topic, but she didn't. Most shinobi would have denied the fact that they showed emotions, but she didn't. She accepted them, which was what made him confused.

Didn't she know that this would result in death, if the Leader had known?

Looking around, Itachi noted that the sky was getting darker. The day seemed to have gone by a bit too fast.

Sighing, he went off in the direction that Sakura had left.

Might as well find her before something happens.

* * *

_What did you think you were doing, girl?_ Sakura winced again at Inner Sakura's wrath. _With the way you were acting, you'd get us BOTH killed. Damn it, girl, you can do better than that! You're now a spy! So act like one_

"Shut up," she hissed to herself, but Inner Sakura wasn't going to back down.

_Think about it, girl. If you screw up, Tsunade-shishou and Kakashi-sensei and all those people would be so embarrassed that someone like you would fail acting!!!_

"I said shut up!" she snapped.

"I didn't say anything."

Startled by Itachi's voice, Sakura turned around a bit too fast, and fell onto her behind. Humiliated, she looked down, not daring to meet the Uchiha's eyes.

It didn't help that the Uchiha walked closer until the tips of his sandals were in Sakura's view. Blushing, she looked away.

"We are going back."

"You go first. I need to…think something over."

"We will be going together."

"I SAID I need to think something over!"

"This is unnecessary," Itachi said through his teeth. The kunoichi was proving to be difficult, and though he was a very patient man, the failure of his plan and this sudden childish tantrum was getting on his nerves.

"Itachi-san, plea—" But Sakura never got to finish when she felt him knelt beside her. The touch of his warm arm around her waist and the tickling of his hair on her cheek caught her attention before she realized that he'd done a transportation jutsu.

"Wha—" and the two were gone.

* * *

Sakura stood in the moonlight on the beach. She really needed to think clearly; today had taken its toll on her.

The wind blew gently, ruffling both her hair and her white dress. The waves crashed against the rocks repeatedly, creating a rhythm.

It was exactly what she needed.

Closing her eyes, Sakura rested her mind.

Suddenly, tears that she'd been holding back—tears that she'd been able to control—flowed down in torrents now. She let it flow—after all, who was there to witness?

It was a while later that she felt the chakra signature behind her. Turning around, she came face to face with Deidara.

"Figured you'd be here, yeah." He said, joining her.

"Deidara-san," she greeted.

"No need to be that formal, yeah. 'Deidara' would do, yeah." He said, "by the way, what are you doing out here? The beach that beautiful, yeah?"

"No. It's just…a suitable place for thinking things straight, I guess."

"Hm…." He contemplated the scene, taking in the detail. "Well, I guess you could say that it's a work of art, yeah. Not my type, though."

"Would it have been Sasori's?" Sakura asked, curious.

"Hm….no. He doesn't have an interest in anything other than his puppets." Deidara shook his head, "the fool. Puppets can only be used for so long. You still have to tend to it and do all the caring for it. Not worth it, I say, yeah. One shot, BANG, and then you just let it be. It's gone from you. You can concentrate on another short, instant work of art, yeah."

"What would you prefer more, than? A bomb or a firework?"

"That depends on how big both are, yeah. If you're talking about ordinary fireworks and explosive bombs that cause destruction for more than ten-miles in length, then I'd choose the bomb, yeah. The bigger the better. The shorter the better. Once, and although it's gone, it would still be in your mind forever, yeah. An implanted memory."

"I see." Sakura nodded. Deidara's way of thinking was unique. Though she guessed every Akatsuki member had unusual thinking styles. Does that make her thinking unique? She giggled.

The bomb genius looked at her. "What's so funny, yeah?"

"I was just thinking, if every Akatsuki member's way of thinking was unique, then mine would be too, since I'm going to be a member soon."

"Not likely, yeah. Your unique way of thinking is caused by your stupidity, yeah."

"Watch it, Deidara. I may look soft, but I'm not."

"I've witnessed. No need to show again, yeah."

"Then don't doubt my intelligence. I'm plenty, smart, I tell you. Otherwise, Akatsuki wouldn't have chosen me, ne?" she said, smiling up at him.

He grinned in response. "Join the party, yeah."

Laughing, Sakura and Deidara continued their conversation throughout the night.

Unbeknownst to the chatting pair, two shadows standing on higher ground watched them.

"I'll leave her in your care. I trust you enough. Do not disappoint me."

"Hm."

* * *

**(A/N): short? sorry? It was hard to write because I couldn't really add a lot of kick ass action or else the later on fights would be boring. Hope this was ok. Here's a sneak peak of the current situation!**

Smiling at the white wall, she whispered, "No matter what, I will always stay loyal, Naruto. And I'll promise you I'll live until the day you become Hokage."

...~...~...

_..I'll bring Sasuke back, Sakura!..._

_..So….don't cry anymore, because I also feel sad when I see you sad…._

_…I'll become Hokage someday….dattebayo! _

_….How can I ever stop here…._

_….If I cannot protect even my two closest friends…then how can I ever become Hokage?!..._

**_I know you can do it, Naruto._**

**_...~...~..._**

"Maybe YOU don't care about her, but I do! And Hinata! And Ino! And Tenten! And Neji! And Kakashi-sensei! And lots of other people who share BONDS with Sakura, unlike you! So shut the _hell up_, and go huddle in a corner and be emo!"

Naruto shook his head in disbelief, "Sasuke! She's SAKURA! HARUNO SAKURA! Team 7's very own Sakura! The one who scolds us when we fight! The one who never hesitates to punch me and be there for you! For me! For you! For all of us!"

"SHE'S KONOHA'S SAKURA!"

...~...~...

He had once known she was afraid of him, during their encounter in the forest. Back then, he had only been curious as to why she was wary of him.

So why was it now that the notion of her being afraid of him could cause him to feel this uncomfortable feeling?

...~...~...

**Oooh~~ Looks like Itachi's getting a little something going on inside him!! haha....**

**well, it's been a long time, peeps! I really need suggestions or something! **

**Next chapter will be out NEXT WEEK OR EARLIER! Isn't that amazing?**


	12. Chapter 12

**(A/N): Well, yeah....like I promised, no?**

**Disclaimer: no own, duh.....

* * *

**

Sakura woke up to the sunlight shining on her face through the window. It felt so warm, compared to the chilly night before.

Speaking of that, she replayed yesterday's conversation with Deidara in her mind, searching briefly for any signs of her slipping her true identity. Thankfully, there were no slips.

A sharp rap on her door jolted her from her revelry.

"Sakura, yeah. You coming down for breakfast?"

"Yes." She said, getting out of bed. "You don't need to wait, Deidara. I'll be down in a moment."

Walking to her closet, Sakura opened it and considered for a while. She wasn't feeling as bad as she had yesterday, but was somewhat cheerful. Mmm…maybe…something pale.

Mind made up, Sakura pulled out a sky blue silk yukata decorated with yellow canaries flying or on branches. Donning that, she pulled on a pair of loose black slacks and looked at herself in the mirror. Decent enough, she pulled her hair back in a messy bun and walked out of her room.

At the top of the stairs, she took a deep breath. Then, she took a brave step and descended the flight, moving towards the Akatsuki-filled dining room.

* * *

The unmistakably feminine footsteps advancing towards the screen door made Deidara grin. Sakura was up, yeah.

Not that there was anything _good_ about it…well, maybe there is. After all, the kunoichi had proven to be a very amusing companion when he talked about art. Being neutral, the girl could only agree with everything he say and ask questions, in which he would answer with enthusiasm.

She was_ so _much better than Sasori.

Last night's conversation washed up to the surface of Deidara's mind, and his grin widened. Oh, he couldn't wait when they'd spar again. This was a good day. First off, that idiot Tobi was off with Kisame on some type of mission, which left him with Itachi. Quiet enough for him and the kunoichi to concentrate on a spar.

This time he would show her true art, and then she wouldn't have a choice but to agree with him that art is a bang.

Giving a little chuckle, he went back to eating as the screen door slid open and she stepped in.

"Ohayou." She greeted, and was answered with a "Ohayou, yeah" and a "Hn." Sakura walked around the table of quiet Akatsuki to sit between Deidara and Itachi. Once settled, she poured herself some soup and began to drink.

Deidara gave her five minutes before he asked, "Sakura, do you want to spar today, yeah?"

"Hm?" She turned to look at him, spoon slipping from her fingers and falling into the bowl. "Oh. Uh…okay."

"When do you want, yeah?"

"Anytime," a mischievous gleam appeared in her eyes, "you'd better not take a long time planning a strategy, because it would never work on me, _yeah_."

"Hey, who said I need strategy on you? You aren't even worthy of a strategy, yeah!"

"Really? Seems like you didn't use strategy the last time, and what happened?"

"That was an exception—I hadn't known you then, yeah. Besides, I was tired."

"Sure you were."

"Yeah, I was. Got a problem, yeah?"

"'Course not, _yeah_."

"Don't make fun of me, kunoichi, yeah."

"Whatever you say, _yeah_." And with that, Sakura quickly gulped down her food before taking her bowl and chopsticks into the kitchen behind the other screen door. Deidara followed suite and dumped his empty bowl and chopsticks into the sink.

"At least wash it," Sakura complained.

"You do it for me. I'm going to prepare," with that, Deidara stepped out of the kitchen and crossed the living/dining room.

"And _I_ don't have to prepare?!" an irritated voice snapped from the kitchen, causing him to burst into laughter.

Oh, it was a good day _indeed_.

* * *

Deidara winced as a fist met his back—for the hundredth time.

"HA! Take that!" Sakura shouted as she jumped back into the air and did a back flip.

"You're so getting it, yeah!" Deidara shouted back. Creating a big bird, he leaped on and rose into the air.

"Take this!" he shouted as he created a group of birds and sent them flying towards the pink-haired girl.

Laughing, she landed on the ground and punched a crater. When the flock came close to touching her, she darted out of the crater, causing the birds to crash into the dent.

"Not good enough!" she called back, sending a water dragon at Deidara, who flew higher, escaping the dragon's teeth.

Sakura dodged another rain of birds and disappeared underground, popping up behind Deidara. Leaping into a tree and then into the air, she aimed a kick at his back.

The blonde cursed at the impact and almost toppled over his clay bird. Turning around, he aimed a punch at Sakura, only to find her back on the ground.

"Damn you! Come up here and fight like a man!" he shouted, frustrated.

"I'm not a man! I'm a woman!" Sakura retorted, giving him another surprise kick at the ribs.

This time, Deidara went off-balanced and fell from his bird. At the last second before he crashed into the trees the bird swooped down and caught him.

Sakura waited for him to recover.

"How are you feeling?" she shouted.

"Very PISSED!" he answered, flying straight for her.

Inside the house, sitting in the living room, Itachi took another sip at his green tea as a third earthquake happened.

* * *

That night, the Akatsuki hideout was very noisy. A rare sight.

Kisame had only just settled down in the living/dining room when two bickering people entered.

"Hey, hey, what's with all the noise?" he asked. Itachi, sitting opposite of him, looked up from his dinner.

"WHY, I TELL YOU! THAT DEIDARA—"

"What's that, yeah? What? You lost to me fair and square, yeah."

"DON'T YOU DARE TRY THAT ON ME, YOU…YOU…"

"Me, what, yeah?"

"I'LL BEAT YOUR SORRY ASS FOR THIS!!!"

"Try. You wouldn't get far, yeah."

"SHUT THE HELL UP, ASSHOLE!!!!"

"Hey now, Sakura, women should be gentle, yeah."

"I'LL SHOW YOU GENTLE!"

"I'd like to see that, kunoichi. It's been a long time since bomb boy has been beaten."

"Now, now, Kisame. You don't interrupt when a gentleman is having a heated discussion with a lady, yeah."

"Oh yeah? And when were you a gentleman?"

"Since Sakura came, yeah."

"You hear that, Itachi? Akatsuki's Deidara morphed from a bomb psycho into a gentleman just for the kunoichi!"

Itachi, however, was not listening. In fact, he was mulling over the fact that Kisame and Deidara were so close to the kunoichi now. It was only her sixth day here, and already she was affecting all of them. She even seemed comfortable around them, too. How amusing.

He continued to watch as the pinkette shook a threatening fist at Deidara, who laughed it off casually and teased her, which resulted in Kisame laughing.

How amusing, indeed.

* * *

Today.

It was today.

She will be an Akatsuki in a matter of minutes.

It was not as though she was backing out from her decision. In fact, she'd already told Itachi to tell Pein her answer the night before. Sakura still remembered Deidara and Kisame's reaction.

_"Right choice, kunoichi," Kisame congratulated, chuckling evilly, "but it's not as if you have a CHOICE."_

_"It's a matter of life and death," Deidara grumbled. His eyebrows were drawn in, forming a frown. Eyes narrowed, he stalked out, "it's a win or lose."_

_"What's wrong with him?" Sakura murmured to herself. No one said anything until finally Kisame spoke._

_"Bomb boy was forced to join. He had to fight Itachi."_

Sakura mildly wondered what it was like to fight Itachi one-on-one. So far, she'd only sparred with Deidara. Once or twice, Kisame had intervened with his Samehada. She hated those times when the Mist-nin would side with Deidara. How was she possible to block bombs _and_ a tide without jumping? And if she did, she would be met with a _bigger_ bomb and a heavy-looking sword. Two-on-one.

Getting up from her sprawled position on the bed, she made her way downstairs.

"No."

What? Sakura stopped mid-step. Did she just hear Itachi?

"He will be here soon. Then he will be mine to manipulate."

"No."

"But Itachi….didn't you want this? Didn't you want for him to come?" there was a moment of silence. "He will arrive like you have planned. But not quite so, it seems. You did tell me that he was traveling with comrades, no? Or merely," Sakura felt a shiver, "sacrifices so that he could get to you?"

"Leave, Madara," Sakura heard Itachi say in a firm voice. She detected a hint of anger underneath the monotone.

"Of course, _Itachi_."

It was a moment longer when Sakura decided to continue down that she felt a cold hand on her shoulder from behind.

"I know you were listening, little girl."

She froze.

The voice came closer. The man—Madara, it seems—tightened his grip on her.

"I knew you were the right one," Madara drawled. Sakura tried to turn her head, but his other hand shot up to hold her throat tightly.

"Do not disappoint me," He breathed. She shivered, trying to get away.

The hands were gone. A faint echo "Haruno. Sakura." Drifted in the air. The man's aura was gone.

One hand on the wall supporting herself, Sakura felt her neck with the other, trembling. What had he meant? He was so different from Deidara and Kisame. This man did not have their humanity. He did not seem human at all. Slowly, Sakura's hand moved to the shoulder Madara had gripped. It felt numb. Looking at it, she discovered that it was red.

Who was this Madara? And what was he talking about with Itachi?

"Sakura-san."

Jolting, Sakura looked up, hands immediately coming up in an attacking position.

Itachi raised a brow.

"There is no need to be…uneasy. You are, of course, an official Akatsuki member."

Sakura relaxed as he spoke, which did not go unnoticed by the Sharingan-wielder. Relieved, she gave him a smile.

"Itachi-san," she greeted. "I'm sorry. I….think I met another Akatsuki member."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Walking up to her, he asked, "Might it have been a man wearing a mask?"

"Eh?! Tobi?!" Sakura let out. Regaining herself, she replied, "I'm not sure. I didn't see his face."

"Did he say his name?" Itachi asked her, taking yet another step closer. Sakura felt his breathe on her head, and she felt herself relax. Unlike Madara, Itachi did not give off a frightening aura that made her tremble in fright. Itachi's might be a bit aloof, but it was nowhere near intimidating. In fact, now that she thought of it, Itachi didn't seem as cruel as people say. Often, when Deidara and Kisame teased or joked, he would add his own rare comments, some that even Sakura found amusing. He did not mind if Deidara was being too noisy, nor did he mind whenever Kisame gets drunk and starts singing in a very off-tune voice. In fact, he was like a calmer, older, wiser, and more chivalrous version of Sasuke.

"Sakura-san?"

"Ah? Oh," Sakura mentally slapped herself for spacing out, "no. He didn't. But he knew me as the new member of Akatsuki."

"Ah." The stoic man returned, taking an unconscious step closer.

Sakura found herself looking straight at his chest. Blushing, she looked up into his face—straight into his eyes.

'**He has long eyelashes.'**

Sakura winced. Inner Sakura just had to choose this moment to pop out.

**'Nice lips too. Remember that time when we accidentally kissed him?'** This caused Sakura to blush.

'**I like the way his hair partly covers his eyes too. Mysterious look.'**

"Sakura-san?" Itachi questioned.

"Eh?!" she said for the second time. Seeing his questioning gaze, she tried to think of an excuse to get away. "uh…can I see…uh…Leader?"

"Hn," he took a step back, "ask Deidara to take you."

"Arigato," she murmured, and walked around him. As she descended, she heard him say one last sentence that made her realize that he had noticed her.

"When you get back, you will tell me what he did."

Careful not to look back, Sakura quickened her steps.

And it was just as well that she didn't turn back, for Itachi kept his gaze on her until she was gone.

Sighing, he headed towards his room. He still had a lot to ponder.

* * *

Deidara was angry. Hell, he was so angry he didn't care what happens as long as he could bomb something. Bomb something BIG. Something HUMONGOUS. He wanted the satisfaction of seeing a big explosion with the loudest 'BANG!' ever. All because his anger was directed at a certain petite pinkette with jade eyes.

So why was he trying to suppress his anger and performing the hand jutsu to call Pein?

But before he could answer himself, the image of Pein appeared before him and Sakura.

"What is it, Deidara?"

"Uh, Sakura-san here wants to talk to you, yeah."

Sakura stiffened slightly as Pein turned to her.

Something about him scared her immensely. Was it because of the many studs everywhere on his face? Or was it because of his eyes? The many rings in his eyes were hypnotizing, as if they could control you.

He had the same dangerous aura as Madara. And why was it that she'd been afraid of Itachi before? Compared to these two, the elder Uchiha didn't seem scary at all!

"Haruno-san."

She gave a small gasp, then remembered why she was here.

"May I speak to you…alone?" she asked boldly. **Be brave, Sakura. You can do it.**

She could feel Deidara's shocked eyes on her, so she opened her mouth to speak.

"It concerns of my plans and….the kyuubi."

At this, Pein's eyes glimmered with interest, before he turned to Deidara and told him to leave them. Baffled, the blonde left, but not before giving Sakura a concerned look. She nodded her head at him, trying her best to look confident.

Once he was gone, Pein spoke.

"Now…what is it about the kyuubi?"

"You know I'm from Konoha, and I was once a close friend of the kyuubi container—Naruto," Sakura was surprised her voice had came out so calm. Mentally, she winced. It was so fake. So unlike her. Yet, it also seemed real.

"The Hokage—my former teacher—and I did a thorough research on the kyuubi. She assigned me to examine Naruto."

"And what are you intending to say?"

A small smile formed on her lips.

"I can tell you everything I know about the kyuubi."

"I see. But that can wait, can't it?"

"Indeed it could. I still have something else to say."

"Speak."

She took a deep breath.

"I will help capture the kyuubi. One of the reasons why you decide to have Itachi-san and Kisame-san kidnap me was because I was bait, right?"

The hypnotic eyes showed interest. "Clever, Haruno."

"Though I don't really like being used like a puppet," she winced, "I will obediently remain as bait. But I want something else in return."

Sakura could see the steady calculation in those eyes. She forced herself not to look away.

"And what is that?"

She took a deep breath.

"You will let me extract the kyuubi from Naruto. Alone."

* * *

Itachi felt as if his headache would never go away. Perched on the slanted roof of the building, he scanned the panorama in front of him, deep in thought. Earlier that morning, he'd conversed with Madara. Ever since the night of the Uchiha clan's elimination, they lost contact with each other. Itachi wasn't sure whether or not it was a coincidence that Madara was the founder of the Akatsuki. He'd always thought Pein was. Then again, both Pein and Madara were a mystery. Itachi frowned. It seems like he'd have to do more infiltrating than he'd first estimated.

Haruno Sakura. She'd overheard him and Madara's conversation. How much of it Itachi wasn't sure. It was the fact that the other Uchiha had ended their conversation and then disappeared upstairs that caught Itachi's concentration. He'd berated himself for letting his anger get the better of him. He was so angry he couldn't even detect a mere kunoichi's chakra signature! But he had a good reason for letting his anger show. Itachi knew that Madara wanted something from Sasuke. Something that Sasuke had that Itachi didn't. What could it be? What could it possibly be?

And the fact that Madara had approached Sakura. Without knowing why, it irked him. Itachi couldn't possibly figure out why. Ever since that accidental kiss, he'd been more aware of the kunoichi than he'd wanted, much to his irritation. The kunoichi's existence had changed the Akatsuki members currently staying in this hideout, that was for sure. Kisame and Deidara were both getting softer—at heart. Wherever she went, there was laughter. Itachi found himself looking forward to the many spars she would have with Deidara and Kisame. In fact, he'd wanted to challenge her himself, just for amusement.

The fact that she was the former teammate of his little brother made him especially interested. He really wanted to see her skills in fighting. That encounter with Kakashi and the others wasn't enough, though Itachi had seen her with the Chidori. And to think that someone other than Kakashi and Sasuke could use that technique made him smile. Sasuke must be very disappointed. Itachi wondered what Sasuke's team was like back then with the kyuubi container, Sakura, and Hatake Kakashi. Was it filled with laughter as well? Was Sasuke showing off like he usually did? Was Sakura yelling all the time like she does now whenever she lost a spar?

He'd have to ask the kunoichi then, wouldn't he? But he couldn't. His cover must not be blown. Even if Madara knew of his real reason for being here, no one else could. Not even Haruno Sakura.

Itachi stared at the sky for a moment, watching the sea gulls. His eyes narrowed. This was getting very complicated, what with Pein's own plans and Madara's own goals. Itachi had lost count of the many times he'd have to change his own plan to suit others. What should he do this time?

It was then that a shocking thought came to mind. Itachi looked down from the sky, blinking. What was he thinking of? The chances of it actually working seemed quite low to him. But it might work. He pondered, thinking ahead. He thought of the consequences, the results, and the circumstances.

Was it worth the risk?

It wasn't.

"Uchiha, time to eat, yeah!"

Setting the thought aside, Itachi leaped down from the roof.

That option could wait. After lunch, he'd have to interrogate the Konoha kunoichi.

* * *

**(A/N): oh, oh, oooooooh. what plan was it? and why is it RISKY? well.....in the next chapter.**

**and yes, there ARE seagulls. remember? their hideout is on a cliff by the sea.**

**Next chapter will have some ItaSaku interaction....but i don't think it's fluff.**

**oh wellz! reviews will defitinely make my day!!!!**

**oh, and noticed i changed the summary for this story?**


	13. Chapter 13

**(A/N): **Hey, dear readers of mine! Sorry this came out sorta....late, i guess? But your reviews--though little--were touching and motivated me. So this chapter is longer than the last!!

And I don't know when the next update would be....sorry! But I have master classes to attend and school is about to start. Also, my sister is coming home from Chicago and I'm gonna be spending most of my time with her, tending to her needs like a good little sister. Ugh.

Disclaimer: no own. but i own my plot.

* * *

Lunch in the living room/dining room was silent. Normally, Sakura and Deidara would be bickering and Kisame would be chuckling. Itachi surveyed the three other people sitting at the table. Kisame and Deidara were shooting looks at each other, then looking at the pinkette. Sakura was quietly eating, not making a noise. Already, Deidara had tried to stir up a conversation with her or irritate her, but to no avail. The kunoichi was deep in her own thoughts.

Itachi felt something in him. Was it…concern? He wasn't quite sure. Whatever it was, it was directed at the medic. He studied her quietly.

Sakura was tense, her bangs partly covering her face, her mouth robotically chewing and opening. The hand gripping the chopsticks was slightly shaking.

Whatever had happened between her and Pein was affecting her, Itachi presumed. Or maybe it was because of her unexpected encounter with Madara.

Apart from that, there was no way she was going to escape from him this afternoon. Itachi was determined to obtain information from her.

"Sakura-san, I need to speak to you."

"Eh?!" Said kunoichi looked up as her hand jerked, sending her chopsticks flying into Deidara's face, "Ack! Gomen, Deidara."

"No problem, Sakura, yeah," the blonde laughed weakly as he handed the wooden sticks back to her, giving her head a little tousle meanwhile. It seemed as if whatever Deidara had been feeling towards her—Sakura was pretty sure it was anger—had vanished. She had no idea why—she didn't even know how he'd gotten so angry at her! Maybe she should ask him after her talk with Itachi.

"So, uh, Itachi-san, you said you wanted to speak to me?" Itachi nodded when Sakura queried.

Knowing that she didn't have any other option, Sakura gave a little sigh and stood up, bowl and chopsticks in hand as she made her way to the kitchen. Itachi heard the sink water running but didn't copy the kunoichi's movements; Kisame would clean up for him. When the pink-haired girl came back, Itachi stood up and walked out the room, knowing that she would follow.

He made his way to his room, slightly aware of the kunoichi's surprised reaction. Stepping in, Itachi waited until Sakura was in as well before he closed the door. Immediately, the walls covered with a thin coat of chakra.

"What's this?" Sakura murmured, noticing his chakra surrounding them, "why shield your room with chakra?"

He preferred not to answer. Instead, he motioned for the kunoichi to sit in the only chair in his room. She complied, but he did not miss the suspicious gleam in her eyes. Unperturbed, Itachi settled for leaning against the wall beside his window, in the shadow instead of in the light of the noontime sun.

For a while, there was only silence, before Sakura decided to shatter it.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Itachi-san?"

He looked at her, taking in the way her eyes narrowed slightly in both impatience and suspicion as well as the way her mouth was set in a hard line.

How he wanted to see them tip upwards in a smile at the moment.

Shocked that he had come to think of such a thing, Itachi mentally berated himself and spoke.

"Tell me what Madara did to you."

"Madara?" Confusion flashed across her face before she realized who he meant, "you mean…earlier this morning?"

Seeing him nod, Sakura answered, "I…I'm not particularly sure. He…he knew who I was. He said something about…me being the 'right one' and said for me not to 'disappoint him'. I have no idea what he meant. Do you know?"

Itachi raised a brow at the question directed at him.

"Would I be questioning you if I'd known, Sakura-san?"

To his amusment, the kunoichi's eyes widened at this retort, and then she frowned, lips forming a small pout. Itachi knew this face; it was a daily emotion. Sakura would only feel this way when she was bested or when she was not satisfied. It was an interesting look.

"And why would you want to know about Madara's actions?" she asked.

"What have you overheard?"

"I suppose that's none of your business, Itachi-san!"

"Concerning that it had been a private conversation, I suppose it is, Sakura-san."

Sakura grinded her teeth together. What was this, an interrogation? She didn't have the spare time to be interrogated; she had to find out the reason behind Deidara's earlier anger!

"I only heard the very last couple of sentences. In fact, I don't even know what they meant! It was about a person that Madara wanted but you don't want him to. Someone who is about to com here. Then Madara caught me and said those puzzling sentences and disappeared. Is that enough? Can I leave now?"

She felt confused, frustrated, and, if she was willing to admit, slightly scared. What _was_ her role in this? Hadn't she always wanted to know? Now it felt as if NOT knowing seemed far more appealing!

Sakura was oblivious to the fact that her emotions were written clearly on her face, and that Itachi had seen them all.

Something in him stirred, and he had the sudden urge to want to touch her face and comfort her. Itachi did not like this feeling. If anything, he wanted it to go away. Whatever it was, he was not interested in knowing. The way he was uncomfortable with how his body always seemed to warm up whenever she smiles and jokes and how he always felt a certain concern for her whenever her face did not have its usual spark irked him beyond imagination.

Unconsciously, he neared, one hand extended. Standing before her, he bent down slightly, hand wanting to touch her cheek, to feel her skin. But seeing the sudden change in her eyes stopped him. In those green orbs, there were no more confusion, no more frustration. Whilst there was still fright, Itachi realized that it was not directed at Madara, but at him.

Right now, she was scared of him.

Itachi felt as if a bucket of cold water was dumped on him. The warmness in his stomach disappeared, replaced by an emptiness. Quickly, his hand dropped and he was back to where he started out; by the window. Ruthlessly he compressed the feeling of shock.

Body tense, Sakura stood up from her sitting position.

"Is there anything else, Itachi?" she queried.

Part of him wanted to tell her to stay, while another part wanted her to leave so that he would not have to endure this alien feeling. Not knowing what to say, Itachi allowed an "Hn". If he couldn't decide, he'd leave it up to her.

And the latter part of him breathed a sigh of relief when Sakura nodded at him and left the room without even a backward glance.

He watched her back until the door closed behind her.

That was when he remembered….

He had once known she was afraid of him, during their encounter in the forest. Back then, he had only been curious as to why she was wary of him.

So why was it now that the notion of her being afraid of him could cause him to feel this uncomfortable feeling?

* * *

In her room, Sakura sat down on her bed, extremely perplexed. What had Itachi just tried to do? Touch her?!

If so, then the world was obviously close to coming to an end.

The mere fact that Uchiha Itachi did not prefer physical contact was _sufficient_ information to Sakura that Itachi had gone mad. Yes, he could be polite and patient, and at rare times amusing, but she did not think that he would be one to simply allow physical contact.

Moreover, why was he so desperate to find out about today's events anyways? Why would he, Uchiha Itachi, want to know about her encounter with Madara? And who _was _Madara? What has he got to do with Itachi?

Things were getting so complicated, and why was she all of a sudden pulled into the situation? She definitely hadn't asked for it! She didn't want it…what she already carried was enough burden…

First off, her secret task of spilling Akatsuki's information to Tsunade had to be carried out, followed by trying to gain every Akatsuki member's recognition. And after Itachi forcing her to meet up with her former teammates and Sasuke, she'd made another goal of keeping her distance away from them and at the same time somehow try to make them go back. At least, then Naruto would have Sasuke in replacement of…her.

Sasuke.

Unbeknownst, the tears began again. Sakura tried to hold them back. This was not the time, and certainly not the place. If she kept on crying, it would mean that she was weak. In fact, she _knew_ she was weak. But at least she could make the effort of making herself strong. Making herself act strong. Yes, she definitely could. She had to be like Naruto. She had to stay strong.

There was no knock as the door to her room opened, and in came Deidara. One glance at her face and he was demanding to know what was wrong.

"The hell, yeah! What happened, Sakura? You okay, yeah? Did the Uchiha do something to you, yeah? Why, I'm going to……eh? Sakura, yeah?" He stopped, seeing as the girl in front of him was no longer crying but smiling.

He did not know how to describe it, but whenever she smiled, Deidara felt like wanting to protect that smile. To protect her. To be able to be certain that she was safe. He wondered why he would think this way. Was it because of how innocent she looked, or how beautiful she was when her eyes started to shine and her lips tilted upwards as some pink bangs fell to conceal part of the emerald that seemed to bore into him?

And before he knew it, Deidara was being hugged.

"….Sakura…yeah?" He gulped as she looked up at him, arms still wrapped around his body.

"Deidara…were you mad at me? When I...told you guys that I was formally an Akatsuki member?"

One hand scratching his head, he replied, "Sort of, yeah…"

"…why?...."

Deidara paused. He shouldn't have been mad. What had happened back then....she hadn't been there to witness. But the memory was unpleasant, and it always brought back a fueling anger. If only that Uchiha...

"That's because you didn't have to accept, yeah. They gave you a choice, yeah. They never gave _me_ a choice. I was forced to join. And I thought, since you could choose, why not reject, yeah? It would do you a whole lot better, what with your softness and all, yeah." But Deidara knew that if she refused, she would be hunted down and killed. Yet, the anger....

"…are you still mad at me?..."

Mad? At her? _Sakura?_ Such a laughable joke!

"Eh? Ah…no, yeah," he ruffled her head, "can't stay mad at such a cute person like you now, can I, yeah?"

"Thank you, Deidara." And she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving her room, leaving the poor blonde still in shock. Deidara was like her 'Naruto' in many ways but one. Since Naruto gave her the most support when she tried to stand up and be brave, she'll just have to 'pretend' that Deidara was that 'Naruto'.

Yes, she had to, for this was a game of pretense.

* * *

That night, lying in her bed, Sakura stared at the ceiling, with the many memories of her happy life back in Konoha replaying in her mind.

No matter what happened, Konoha was still her priority. It was her home; where she was born, where she had the special moments with the ones she loved, where she learned to live. If anything were to happen, she would be willing to give everything up for Konoha. Even her life. Even if it meant that she was now on a new page of the bingo book and an enemy to her comrades. Her friends.

Smiling at the white wall, she whispered, "No matter what, I will always stay loyal, Naruto. And I promise you I'll live until the day you become Hokage."

_..I'll bring Sasuke back, Sakura!..._

_..So….don't cry anymore, because I also feel sad when I see you sad…._

…_I'll become Hokage someday….dattebayo! _

…_.How can I ever stop here…._

…_.If I cannot protect even my two closest friends…then how can I ever become Hokage?!..._

_**I know you can do it....Naruto.

* * *

**_

Everything was silent save for four pairs of sandaled feet leaping through the trees as stealthily as they could. They were near now, close to the Akatsuki hideout where they were sure Sakura was. The four shinobi had only one goal in mind:

**Haruno Sakura.**

A few miles away, four men continued in the forest. This time, however, they traveled slowly and kept to the underbrush instead of the trees.

It was a while later until Sai felt Naruto stop walking.

"What's wrong, dickless?" he asked. Hearing the query, Sasuke and Kakashi both stopped and turned towards their blonde teammate.

Quickly, Naruto swept a hand over his face, a poor attempt to wipe the visible tears away.

"You're sad."

"And why aren't you, Sai?" Naruto retorted in a hoarse voice. "Why aren't you balling your eyes out, you emotionless teme?"

Sasuke's eye flickered. This didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi.

"Do I have a reason to, dickless?"

"Sure as hell you do! Aren't you the least bit mad?! Or frustrated?! Weren't we supposed to get Sakura back? She was right in front of us! And we didn't manage to get her back!"

"So I have to be crying?"

"YEAH! So get on with it!" Naruto snapped.

"This is unnecessary. We are wasting time." Sasuke said through his teeth. It must've been the wrong thing to say.

"Maybe YOU don't care about her, but I do! And Hinata! And Ino! And Tenten! And Neji! And Shikamaru and Chouji and Fuzzy Brows and Kiba and Shino and Temari and Gaara and Kankuro! And Kakashi-sensei! And lots of other people who share BONDS with Sakura, unlike you! So shut the _hell up_, and go huddle in a corner and be emo!"

"Stop crying. All you're doing is slowing us down. Don't you want to get her back?" Sasuke asked in a hard tone.

"What does that have to do with you? The only reason that you're here is because of Itachi. So why bother? Go on ahead of us and find your brother. Once you've found him, you've found Sakura. Do the job for us and complete your revenge in the meantime. How's that? Convenient!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he frowned.

"What do you know about Sakura?" Naruto continued on. When his question was met with silence, he said, "all you know is that she's weak and annoying. But that's only in _your_ point of view. Have you ever thought of her from another? Have you ever ignored that egotistic side of you and actually—truly—see Sakura? The real Sakura, and not the 12-year-old girl that used to woo over you?"

"Sakura is not of my concern."

"What is she then?! Someone who might cause your punishment as a nukenin to lessen? Is that it?" Naruto shook his head in disbelief, "Sasuke! She's SAKURA! HARUNO SAKURA! Team 7's very own Sakura! The Sakura who scolds us when we fight! The Sakura who never hesitates to punch me and be there for you! For me! For you! For all of us!"

"SHE'S KONOHA'S SAKURA!"

The last sentence rang in the forest.

As well as in Sasuke's head.

* * *

The other two boys of the team were sleeping, and Kakashi was standing guard, although Sasuke couldn't sense where he was.

Closing his eyes, the onyx-eyed boy tried to sleep. Tomorrow, he would carry on even if they want to rest. He was that close to his goal, there was no way he was going to slip and let this opportunity escape from his grasp...

But before he could think of anything else, darkness took over.

_He was a young boy again—12 years old. Back in Konoha._

_The hand around his throat was not letting go._

_"Why are you still so weak, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, leaning in._

_This was the time he most desperately wished for someone to be there for him. Be it Naruto, Sakura…he didn't care. He was scared. So terribly scared. Why was it that his hatred had suddenly melted away? Why was he feeling this feeling of panic? And why can't his body move?_

_Suddenly, he heard a voice._

_"Sasuke-kun?..."_

_He inwardly smiled. Sakura. She was here. Everything was fine. She'll send for help. But at least she was here with him. Beside him. By him._

_But what she said afterwards shattered his hope._

_"Why are you still so weak, Sasuke-kun?"_

_The way she said it—it was cruel. Cold. Sasuke's eyes shot open. He didn't know this Sakura. This wasn't even Sakura! Looking to his side, his eyes widened._

_She was standing there with a sneer on his face, eyes silently mocking him, calling him weak._

_Sasuke felt his mouth open as he tried to make a sound, only to have it come out in a choked sound._

_**This was not Sakura…**_

_Slowly, she held up a kunai._

_**No, Sakura…**_

_A small grin on her lips._

_It made her face glow._

_She was so beautiful._

_"Goodbye, Sasuke-kun…"_

_**No….Sakura!**_

_**SAKURA!!**_

_Her delicate hand._

_**Don't hold the weapon, Sakura.**_

_**Don't.**_

_**It's not for you.**_

_**Not for your hands.**_

_**Not for your soul.**_

_**Sakura…**_

And before he could dream of anything, Sasuke had woken up, panting.

"My, my, my….I never knew the infamous Uchiha Sasuke would have nightmares."

His eyes narrowed in annoyance. Good enough he had a bad dream, Kakashi didn't have to add to his annoyance.

Noticing the boy didn't speak, the older man walked over and squat down beside him.

"What were you dreaming of?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Sasuke chose not to answer. Instead, he stood up, back towards the Copy-nin.

"Perhaps it was of a certain Sakura?"

There was a pause. Kakashi slowly turned his head to the boy.

"No need to be so tense, Sasuke. It was just that," Kakashi positioned himself more comfortably, "you were muttering the words 'No, Sakura…' all the time. I was wondering whether or not—"

But before he was finished, Sasuke was gone.

Shaking his head, Kakashi sighed.

"That boy is as complicated as the girl. Why can't they all be as simple-minded as Naruto?"

* * *

_They had forced the innkeeper to let out some information—at least, they tried. It had been useless, since Megumi-san was obviously fiercely loyal to the Akatsuki. Or rather, to Itachi._

_"Why are you doing this for them? Do you know that they intend to destroy this kid?" Kakashi had asked the old lady, pointing at Naruto._

_They'd expected her to answer with some sort of reason they would never understand, but instead, the old lady surprised them._

_"I am not doing this for Akatsuki. In fact, I am only repaying the many debts I owe Itachi-san."_

_At this, Sasuke had tensed visibly. Eyes blazing with the Sharingan, he'd appeared in front of Megumi, body looming over her short one._

_"..Debts?" the other shinobi noticed the unbelieving tone in the Uchiha's voice._

_"Hai, debts. I would not be here, alive and whole, if not for Itachi-san. And nor would I be comforted by the fact that my children and grandchildren are safe and sound."_

_There was shocked silence._

_"…what did you say?" Kakashi tensed as his eye caught the movement of Sasuke's hand inching towards his katana._

_"I will say no more, young Uchiha. I know why you are here, traveling with those Konoha nin even though you would rather not. And even though I may be of age, my brain is still working and I am not a helplessly soft old grandmother. So I will tell you this; your older brother is not who you think he is."_

_"Shut up." Kakashi's lone eye took tracked the hand that was getting closer to the blade._

_"It is your absurd stubbornness that is blinding you from the truth, Uchiha."_

_"Shut up."_

_Megumi-san did not look the least bit intimidated. "Think back to the happy times when your clan still existed."_

_"Shut up."_

_"Remember the moments you had with Itachi-san. Remember the way your brother always tried to find time to be with you, even if it meant shortening his own precious training sessions."_

_"Shut up!"_

_"Set aside your haunting memories and hear from this old lady's perspective, young one, for your ignorance will soon be your weakness. If you would believe for one moment that Itachi-san had not committed the crime—"_

_"But he did!" Sasuke snarled, startling everyone, including the old kunoichi. In a flash, the katana was pressed against the wrinkled neck and the dark eyes had turned crimson._

_"He destroyed all of them! He destroyed my parents. He destroyed my aunt and uncle. He destroyed my goal of wanting to be the pride of my clan. He destroyed the whole meaning of my existence! Instead, he left me with the ambition to chase after him and destroy him. I was there. I saw every corpse. I saw him standing above the bloodied corpses of my parents! I heard him say to me to hate him forever and to chase after him, leaving everything behind!"_

_Sasuke's enraged voice echoed in the hall. The Konoha nin behind him stared at him, one with realization, another with pity, and one with no emotion._

_"…Did you think your brother could've killed all of them single-handed?"_

_The young Uchiha's eyes widened._

* * *

Sasuke's mind was swirling with confusion as he traveled with the others, totally oblivious of Kakashi's watchful gaze on him. The recent conversation was passing through both Sasuke's mind and Naruto's.

_"Itachi-san found me and my family hiding from the war. The Akatsuki took part, although they sided with my village's opponent."_

_"But instead of killing us, or torturing us, Itachi-san had merely let us escape."_

**He would never do that.**

_"You say your brother is cruel, but that he is definitely not. Itachi-san is every bit human. Young one, I have seen your brother smile. A pure smile with no evil or killing intent."_

_"Uchiha-san, your brother is definitely a kind man. If he were not, would he had aided my family and allowed us to have another chance to live?"_

_"Forget your nightmares and hear me out. Your brother did not kill the Uchiha clan willingly."_

_"Do not blame him. He already has such a hard life….don't make it harder for Itachi-san, young one."

* * *

_

**Hard life. What life could Itachi possibly have albeit one tainted with much bloodshed? He cannot be forgiven so quickly!

* * *

**

_"…I cannot tell you much, but I can tell you this: Your brother is beyond the forest on the far side of the village. He and the others are in the hideout on the cliff. I assume the young lady you are looking for is there as well."_

_"Speaking of which, I find it quite hard to believe that the pink-haired girl is an Akatsuki. Her innocence proves just how pathetic her view of the world is. But her determination is one that I admire. I have never seen such ambition in a lady so young."

* * *

_

**What was this supposed to mean? That she is 'weak' but 'strong'? How was this possible?

* * *

**

_"__She is one to be appreciated, not one to be thrown away. She is one to be held close to the heart and mind, not one to be blocked away. For doing so would only cause pain. __That I know clearly. No wonder those three Konoha nin would be so desperate to save her and bring her back to her village. But rest assured, I am sure Itachi-san would do all he could to assure she is safe. After all, from what I saw earlier, he respects her immensely."

* * *

_

_**He respects her immensely.

* * *

**_

Sasuke clenched his fists. This was not reassurance at all! It would mean that Sakura was also in danger, and having an extra obstacle in the way would be very troublesome. It was unnecessary. And the notion that Itachi would ever respect anyone was laughable as it is. No, Sasuke would not heed the old lady. Her words were worthless.

Long ago, he'd lost the ability to trust anyone. His brother had made sure of that. After that night, he'd learned to believe in only himself, and it seemed to have got him in a very good position.

* * *

**(A/N):** Well, isn't Sasuke's logic a bit twisted? He's worried about Sakura-but only because she's an obstacle in the way. Er.....who thinks like that in real life? I have the answer. **MY SISTER.**

Oh well. At least I have a sibling who sticks on my side during a parent-child argument. I'm sorry there was little Ita-Saku interaction. Well, to me it was little, cuz Sasuke-teme appeared too much. Next update will contain an astonishing discovery and ItaSaku interaction! **THERE MIGHT BE ANOTHER KISS! MIGHT! If I receive reviews and if I'm happy with them, then there will DEFINITELY be a kiss.**

**SO PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**(A/N): And here's chapter 14~~! Sorry for the late wait! ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: no own. duh.

* * *

**The game of pretense continued on. To Sakura, it seemed almost as easy as breathing to act like a true Akatsuki. Mostly, though, it was due to the fact that Pein was sending the others out to try and capture the tailed beasts whilst all she had to do was stay at 'home' and make sure there are no intruders. Often, she'd had to heal those who came back wounded. She was mildly surprised that, somehow, Tobi never seemed to get hurt. But the sight of Deidara with wounds ranging from mild to fatal was nothing new.

And just like most days all of them—Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, and Tobi—were gone, and she was left to roam around. However, Sakura was positive that Itachi and Kisame would be back soon. Pein had only sent them out to do a simple mission that was probably—in Akatsuki standards—C-ranked. The Sharingan wielder and the Mist nin had been gone for three days already. But how soon was what Sakura did not know. Possibly just another day at most.

Speaking of Itachi, Sakura still couldn't get over what had happened that afternoon in his room. Sure she knew that Uchiha Itachi was about the most unfathomable man in the world, but as time passed by she'd realized that he was actually quite predictable if one knew how to observe. And she considered herself one of those who could read him.

But what he had done….was really confusing. Scenes replaying, Sakura suddenly remembered what Madara had said.

_"He will come as you have planned."_

Who? What plan? Did it have anything to do with Akatsuki, or was it personal? And since when did Uchiha Itachi have _anything_ personal?!

Maybe she just didn't know of them. But that was apart from the current topic.

Sighing in frustration, Sakura rubbed her head fervently. The more she thought of it, the more she wanted answers. She hated being in the shadows!

Mind made up, the rosette stood and left her room. Standing in the hall, she stared at the door of the room directly across from hers.

Taking a deep breath, the kunoichi crossed the floor and made a grab for the door. The instant her hand made contact with the knob, a chakra shield blocked her hand and Sakura jerked her hand back, rubbing it and checking for any signs of harm. Apparently, there were none. So she tried again, this time kicking the door with her leg. Once again, the chakra shield came up and blocked her.

Becoming frustrated, Sakura decided to just use a chakra-enhanced punch. It's not like it wouldn't work, right?

Still, it might not, considering this was Uchiha Itachi's room she was about to trespass into.

But she could always give it a try.

Right hand fisted and glowing, Sakura raised her arm back, then shot it forward.

The door opened, shocking Sakura that the door hadn't completely fallen off. As she walked in, she made a mental note of examining the door later—if she had the time.

Looking around, Sakura took in how neat the room was and how little possessions Itachi had that weren't shinobi tools. Apart from numerous kunai and shuriken, there were no other shinobi tools seen. Instead, scrolls met Sakura eyes as she settled her gaze on a bookshelf by Itachi's desk. Curiosity led her to walk towards it, and immediately one scroll caught her gaze.

It had the Konoha symbol on it.

Her hands needed no order—they reached for the scroll and pulled it out. Sakura sat down in Itachi's chair and placed the scroll on the desk.

_What could Itachi possibly still keep a Konoha scroll for? And why is it a mission scroll? It—it—I don't get it. This…._

With shaky fingers, Sakura unrolled the scroll, and gasped at its contents.

**Rank: S**

**Date of Initiation: October 7**

**Purpose: Eliminate the Uchiha Clan**

**Details: On this night of initiation, there will be a provided time period of 2 hours at most, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. All Uchiha members will be in the compound. There must be no survivors.

* * *

**

_No…….._

_No….._

_Not possible…….this ……._

_Cannot be……he….Itachi….._

_I….don't understand….mission?......._

Sakura stared at the scroll, and stayed there as time passed by. Her thoughts were in a whirlpool, and she was in shock.

_Mission….._

_Sasuke…._

_"…to kill a certain man…."_

_….Itachi…._

_…traitor…_

_…Massacre…_

_…Sarutobi…_

_…Hokage…_

_….reluctant…_

_…__**pretense**__…

* * *

_

It must've been thirty or so minutes before Sakura was able to move again. Taking a deep and ragged breath, she rolled up the scroll and returned it to its rightful position. Now standing in the middle of Itachi's room, she couldn't help but stay there, not moving. This is the room of the man who gave up all he had to stay loyal to Konoha, even if it meant becoming a traitor to the people of the place he so loved. How could she….how could everyone…anyone….?

The tears came unannounced, but Sakura held them back. This was not the time nor place. Itachi and Kisame would be back soon, and what would they think if they were to be greeted by a medic with a tear-streaked face? Blinking a few times to reassure herself that the tears wouldn't fall, Sakura gave the room a last full-circle glance before vacating it. She did not notice the strand of pink hair that had fallen off and was now lying on the tabletop.

Silently, the loyal Konoha nin left the room of the ex-Konoha-yet-not-entirely-nin.

When the sound of the front door being opened reached Sakura's ear, she peered out of her room in time to see Itachi and Kisame climbing the stairs.

"Well, if it isn't our little medic?"

"How was the mission? Any wounds for me to waste my chakra on?" Sakura asked, smiling. She had to act as if nothing had happened. As if she had never went into Itachi's room and saw the scroll.

But still she couldn't help but go blank as the supposedly traitor of Konoha laid his eyes on her.

"Itachi-san might want to check his eyes," Kisame supplied, "he used the Mangekyou three times in a row."

And Sakura was at a loss as to what to do. How could she possibly act as if nothing had happened and heal Itachi when deep inside her mind was in chaos?

So she stiffened as Itachi opened his mouth.

"I don't think it is necessary, Kisame."

And relaxed.

Feeling somewhat relieved, as if a huge burden had been lifted off of her, Sakura sighed and her smile became bigger.

"Ok, then. Don't tire your bodies too much. I'll—"

She was interrupted by a loud growling. The blue man chuckled, unabashed by such an un-Akatsuki like behavior. Sakura's smile gentled.

"I'll prepare something for you, Kisame-san." She said. Anything to get away from the Uchiha. Anything. Even if it meant cooking. As she walked past the two Akatsuki, Itachi turned his head and said, "You don't seem yourself."

Sakura's mind froze.

Itachi turned slightly to look at her, and both remained as they were; silent and still.

"Oops," Kisame chuckled as his stomach protested once again. "Better get food quick, pinky. Bring something for Itachi-san too." He added, oblivious of the tension between the kunoichi and the Sharingan weilder.

It was only when Itachi broke his gaze that Sakura was able to think again. "Hai," she said, and proceeded down the stairs.

If Kisame was that hungry, then she was going to prepare something that would satisfy his stomach to the fullest.

The longer she could stay away from Itachi, the better.

* * *

The moment he touched the doorknob to his room, Itachi felt strange. Someone had broken the chakra shield he placed over his door. Someone had trespassed in. On his guard, Itachi entered and closed the door quietly behind him. Looking around, he noted that everything seemed normal. Whoever was in here had either touched nothing or had remembered to place them all back to where they should be.

As he placed his Akatsuki cloak on his chair and set his kunai pouch down on the table, Itachi noticed something.

Something that didn't belong.

A strand of pink hair.

What was Sakura doing in his room? More importantly, _why_ was she in his room? Brooding, Itachi sat on his bed. Was she spying on him? Prying? Spying for who? Konoha? Madara? Pein? Or was she possibly doing this for her own reason? And what could that be? What could she have possibly found out? Was she trying to find out why she was important to Madara?

This only seemed to him that the prior idea that he had thought of would not work. If she was someone he couldn't rely on…he doesn't have to entirely trust her….but rely…

His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock.

"Itachi-san, I brought food." Sakura called out from the other side.

"Aa," he said, and when he made no move to open the door, the knob slowly turned and in she came.

She was nervous, the way she trembled slightly and tried unsuccessfully to hide it. Her eyes looked at everything but him, even when she placed the plate of onigiri on his table. Itachi noted that her eyes widened slightly and her hands clenched in fists when she noticed what she'd left behind when she came in here before.

"Why were you in here, Sakura-san?"

"Eh?!" she jerked, whipping her head to look at him, then quickly averting her eyes.

"What did you find out?"

Her jaw tightened and she gritted her teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about, Itachi-san."

"Then explain why a strand of your hair is lying on my table."

"Really, Itachi-san," she forced out a laugh, "you must be really tired, to think that I'd sneak around in your room."

"Don't lie to me, Sakura-san."

"I'm not, Itachi-san."

"Sakura-san."

"Really….I have no idea what you mean, Itachi-san."

He'd had enough. If she wasn't going to give up that easily, then he would have to force it out of her.

Standing up, Itachi slowly advanced on the kunoichi.

"W-what are you doing, Itachi-sa--!" Sakura's breath escaped her when Itachi forced her into the wall behind her. Before she had time to react, he'd place both of his hands on either side of her head, assuring that she couldn't escape.

And he was very, very close.

Their foreheads were almost touching, noses slightly brushing each other's, mouths so close their breaths were mingling together. Strands of Itachi's silky black hair fell across his eyes, a slightly see-through curtain covering his blaring Sharingan.

Itachi could see Sakura's face, all the little details, so clearly. Her eyelashes, her captivating jade orbs, her enticingly soft lips, her silky skin, her. Her. All of her. She was also panting from shock, and it didn't help situations that her body was pressed against his. He searched her eyes, finding shock, fright.

"I…Itachi-san…"

"Tell me the truth." He breathed out. He will get his answer, and she would leave. The sooner the better.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sakura answered back, trying hard not to look at the Uchiha. His face was too close, and Inner Sakura was ranting about his looks again. Sakura shut her eyes tightly, and her lips pursed from concentration.

That was when Itachi's voice whispered right beside her ear.

"Tell me, Sakura."

_Don't tell him! Don't tell him!_ Sakura mentally chanted.

"I…don't know…"

Itachi frowned. She was really tempting him now. He hadn't been given any other option but to force it out of her like this. Yet, standing so close, he felt that alien feeling again. This time, it was strong. Of course it wasn't lust; Itachi knew the feeling of lust. It wasn't lust, but by the way things seemed, he was physically attracted to Sakura. Immensely attracted, so to say. But there was also something else….

Besides, his self control was coming close to an end. He had to think of something. He had to think quick.

"…Tell me why you were in here, and I'll tell you about Madara and my conversation."

Suddenly, the kunoichi was looking at him with wide eyes, and Itachi knew this was going smoothly.

"Sakura."

He watched with satisfaction as she took in a deep breathe and tried to exhale calmly, but failed. Then his eyes narrowed as she still did not reply.

"I will not hurt you."

Still there was silence.

But then she spoke.

"You……hadn't done it….. on purpose."

Itachi raised a brow. What hadn't he done on purpose? Pulling slightly back, he opened his mouth, but was cut off.

"The Uchiha Massacre…..Sasuke….you didn't…."

And Itachi's eyes widened a fraction, but then he regained his composure and questioned her.

"…..How did you know of this?"

A small and sad smile crept up the corners of her mouth.

"The scroll. The Konoha mission scroll."

* * *

Sakura hadn't known why. From the moment she discovered the mission scroll, she'd decided that she was going to keep her knowledge of such a scroll a secret.

And yet, here she was, willingly telling Itachi that she found it.

Willingly trusting him.

She knew it was foolish and absurdly childish to believe the words of an Akatsuki, even though she was now formally one as well. But they were Akatsuki, each and every one an elite shinobi who are working together—for one gain, but each with their own purposes. Who knew what would become of them if their goal were obtained? Even she herself had no idea what would happen. It seemed—to her—that capturing all nine tails would take an entire lifetime. After all, the days that she'd spent with them—with Itachi, Deidara, Kisame—were nothing unlike the days she'd spent in Konoha, with Rookie Nine.

There was only one difference. And that was that she wasn't in Konoha. She was an Akatsuki, and in a country that she had yet to know the name of from Deidara.

During her first few days, she'd come to realize that the Akatsuki members were painfully similar to her own friends. Deidara not only looked like Naruto, but also had similar personality traits. Such as his ambition, his stubbornness, and his always-present need to show others what he is capable of doing. Kisame was easily the oldest of the three she was living with, and he was none too shy to share his inappropriate thoughts. Yet, more often than not, he would visit Deidara and her to make sure that they did not end up killing each other during their intense sparring. As for Itachi….well…he does have the same blood as Sasuke, so she shouldn't find it weird that they would behave alike. But there were still variations to each and every action that linked the siblings as brothers. For one, Sasuke's sentences were short, and during rare times when he felt the need, he wouldn't hesitate to speak out his mind—which often resulted in a rude statement. Itachi, on the other hand, spoke more often than not, if only to answer questions or give out a comment. Whatever he said had the air of a gentleman, and it was always polite.

Unfortunately for her, Deidara had no demon inside him, Kisame had no mask on his face, and Itachi's eyes held no hunger for revenge.

But surely they held great sadness.

Sakura wondered why she never saw that emotion in his eyes before? Or was it just because his bangs shadowed his eyes so often that it was hard to tell? Perhaps it was because she'd never really—_really_—looked at him.

Now she was, though. And she saw it as clearly as seeing through a glass window.

And it made her feel so, so, so sad as well.

To think that this man had resisted his emotions to carry out a mission involving massacring his clan was extraordinary. To know that he also fled the place he loved the most just to protect its people was extremely heartbreaking, in her opinion.

The tears were coming, and she felt that—maybe, maybe—it was the appropriate time to let them go. For her. And for him. Maybe…

Without thinking, Sakura reached out both of her hands—

—and hugged Itachi.

* * *

He had not been prepared. When he felt her delicate arms and warm body pressed against his, he had been caught off guard. For a split of a second, his brain had been wiped of any thought, before he gradually regained his sense.

She was crying. Crying softly into his shoulder, her sniffs muffled by his clothes. He could feel her shudders, and unconsciously, he wrapped one arm lightly around her shoulders, holding her to him.

He hadn't known why he did it, he just did. It felt…needed, almost necessary, to perform such a task. And it wasn't as if he wasn't uncomfortable with the close proximity, either. Somehow, holding the kunoichi—or even being near her—brought a sudden sense of harmony.

And he knew what the feeling was.

Love. Unlike the love he held for Sasuke, or his family. This was the love shared only between a man and a woman.

And to say that Itachi was surprised would be an understatement.

Could it truly be, though? That he loved her?

There was too much to think about, so Itachi settled for simply holding Sakura close to him.

If this was the only moment where they would be able to be like this, then he wouldn't mind. He'd make the most of this.

Therefore, he'll simply stay. Comforting her.

That was the least he could do.

* * *

**(A/N): YAY~~~! ITACHI FIGURED IT OUT! But Sakura still hasn't. sigh And my word document is blank after this chapter, so...it's gonna take some time before chp.15 is out. But no worries!!! It'll be out before this year ends! (no duh).**

**Also, thx to all of you who read and review!! I'm really grateful, cuz the more reviews, the better I write and the MORE I write. I was hoping that this chapter might get me a couple reviews, so...  
**

**Read and Review!!! **

**Your loyal writer, **

**sizuka chan  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**(A/N): Yes, so I know it's been a very very very long time before this update. Well, it's always the same excuse, no? I do have a violin competition coming up on March 25th, and I was surprised that I could have this free time to upload what I currently have on my word doc. :D **

**I'm still alive. Don't worry! And I'm very happy that there are still people reading this even after such a long time. **

**Disclaimer: no own. **

**

* * *

**

The descending sun shone warmly outside the window. Stray leaves flew past as the wind sighed. The ruffling of the trees accompanied the dancing shadows of the leaves. Aside from that, everything else was silent.

Sakura's tears were silent as well as she continued to weep into Itachi's shoulder. She didn't feel like stopping, although she had cried an entire afternoon.

With Itachi holding her for an entire afternoon.

Realizing this, Sakura gasped. Hearing it, Itachi's sole arm around her tensed, and Sakura felt him shift.

"Ah…uh…Itachi-san…" she started awkwardly, not knowing how to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Itachi."

"Eh?" Sakura let out as she turned her head to look at him.

Itachi's black eyes were mysterious as he repeated, "Call me Itachi."

"Ah. Oh. Oh…"

…

…

....

"I..Itachi…"

"……..Hn."

"Can…" Sakura stuttered, still not having overcome the discomfort of their proximity, "can…can you…let go of me?"

"Ah." And she felt the warmth around her disappear.

"…Thank you."

Itachi surveyed Sakura as she bit her lip and studiously ignored looking at him. The silence must be awkward for her, he thought.

Just when he was about to do something about the awkwardness, Sakura's head shot up to look at him.

"Itachi," she said in a determined tone, and Itachi couldn't help but stare into her bright eyes and let her sweet voice ring in his ears.

"Yes?"

"I…no, _we_…must do something about this."

He raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Do something?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded, "you can't live as an Akatsuki forever."

This was amusing. Not live as an Akatsuki?

"Why not?" Itachi asked.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. Was he joking?

"The Uchiha massacre hadn't been your doing entirely. You were just carrying out a mission like a good little shinobi. You are not at fault; the elders are."

"At…fault?"

He just has to make this difficult!!! Sakura thought with frustration.

_At least you get to hear more of his voice._ Inner Sakura commented.

Shut up. Sakura commanded firmly.

"Itachi, to Sasuke—and everyone in Konoha—you are a murderer. The bounty on your head is enough to serve meals to a poor family of 5 for many years. Have you not thought, just once, of what people view of you?"

"I have."

"Then why can't you see that everyone thinks you're the criminal?"

"I am."

"No no no!" Sakura grounded through her teeth, "I meant that everyone thinks you slaughtered your clan for your own reason! For yourself!"

Itachi didn't answer, and Sakura took this chance to carry on.

"Wouldn't it be better if everyone knew the truth?"

Itachi's eyes widened. Better? For what good would it cause?

"Don't lie to yourself, Itachi," Sakura murmured as she moved closer. Itachi could feel the warmth of her breath and smell her scent.

"You are lonely, aren't you? And ever since the Uchiha massacre, you must've felt many emotions—regret, anger, sadness, you know. And, and, there must've been a great amount of burden on your shoulders—and you couldn't lift them off because there was no one there for you. There was no one there to listen to you and to comfort you. So you kept thinking and thinking and thinking about that mission, and you always wonder just how you could be forgiven—isn't that so?"

Itachi was speechless. How does she know?

"You kept the mission scroll so that…so that you could always remember what you did, right? And you shut your emotions away just so that no one would know of your true feelings. You believed that no one had the right—well, actually, I _think_ you just thought that people should never see what you think and what you feel anymore, because you're afraid the truth would be revealed. And…and…and I think you joined Akatsuki so that people wouldn't have to know the horrible truth and so that you could be forgiven—in a very twisted way, that is. And—"

"You're wrong."

"Eh?" Sakura stopped at the soft and deep voice.

"You're wrong," Itachi spoke, and somehow, Sakura thought his crimson eyes were brighter.

"I didn't join Akatsuki to be given forgiveness. I would never carelessly make myself a public target just so that I could die under some shinobi's hands. That would shame me and my clan."

Itachi would've gone on if not for the great big smile on Sakura's face.

"Why…are you smiling?"

Sakura's grin remained as she answered.

"3 reasons. One, that was probably the longest I've heard you speak before. Two, you said 'my clan'. And three—"

Itachi flinched slightly as Sakura gently laid a palm against his cheek.

"—this means that I can be the person that you had always wanted by your side all the time. I can be the person to hear you speak your heart. I can be the person to comfort you. I can be the person who you can look to."

Something in Itachi's chest started to thud, thud, thud, and his stomach felt comfortably warm as Sakura leaned closer, eyes filling with compassion.

"I can be your friend, Itachi."

And Itachi felt his heart give a sharp twist.

It must've been obvious that he was extremely disappointed because Sakura's smile immediately became a look of worry.

"Itachi?"

But before he could open his mouth to say 'nothing', the door downstairs banged close and a shout reached their ears.

"I'm hungry, yeah! Sakura!!"

"Oh!" Itachi watched as Sakura jumped at the sound of her name and give him an apologetic look, "that's Deidara for you. I'll be going."

By the doorway, she turned around.

"Itachi, we'll talk about this after dinner, okay?"

And before he could answer, she was gone.

* * *

_I can be your friend._

Itachi would have laughed with no humor if he had been any other person, but he did not. The kunoichi cared. Who knew? He felt bitter, bitter, bitter. And he felt as if he was a kettle with no opening. A sealed kettle, with all the tumbling and bubbling _feelings_ inside that he wanted to get rid of.

He shifted, lying down on the rooftop, face towards the sky.

What was this? This…_love_. This shouldn't have happened. And how…since when? Why?

Closing his eyes, Itachi allowed himself a moment of rest. Of peace. The thinking could come later. It _would_ come later. He was going to have to let Sakura in on his plan, if, by all means, she would accept.

"Itachi?"

Ah. She was here. Slowly, Itachi opened his eyes and moved his head towards her voice.

With the wind blowing, her hair was flying all around her, framing her face and shielding it ever so often from him.

"Sakura." He said.

She walked closer to him, turning her face upwards at the starlit sky.

"Were you watching the stars?"

Itachi mildly wondered why she would ever thought of asking such a question.

"Ah."

"Seems like an Uchiha family trait," she muttered to herself, quietly settling down beside him.

"How so?" he asked.

"Eh?" Sakura looked baffled, then had a sheepish look on her face, "well….Sa…Sasuke. He used to like staring at the stars too."

Itachi mused over this. Had he?

"Well, at least, I thought so," Sakura added.

Itachi didn't answer, and she didn't speak any more of his little brother.

"So…what to do now?"

Itachi looked at her.

"What to do?"

"Since…since I know about the scroll, and…uh…" Sakura didn't know how to continue, "you…you know!"

"Yes?"

"You can't really just let things be, can you? And I already promised that I'd help you."

_I'd help you._

Those were the words Itachi was waiting for. Silently, he sat up and addressed his companion.

"You'd be willing to help me?"

"I…I said that, didn't I?"

"What about Konoha?"

She looked taken aback. "That…"

"What about the kyuubi vessel, your Naruto?"

"He…"

"And my otouto? If you help me, that would mean betraying Sasuke."

"I already said I hated him, didn't I?!" Sakura raised her voice, jumping to her feet. It seemed that the subject of Uchiha Sasuke was a very fragile one to both him and the pink haired kunoichi.

"Apart from Sasuke, then," Itachi carefully added, "what would you do if Konoha found out you were helping me?"

Itachi observed as Sakura's eyes flared with bright determination.

"I will tell Tsunade-shishou about the truth."

"Truth?"

"About the Uchiha Massacre. About you, and everything in between."

Itachi felt the urge to laugh again.

"No matter what you say, the truth will remain the same. I killed my clan, and that is all there is to it."

"No, that's not all," she argued, "once they know that you were just carrying out a mission, Konoha will forgive you."

"Konoha will spare no forgiveness for me."

"You never know! If I can forgive you, then surely others can!"

"But you don't know everything," Itachi said, standing up and taking a step towards Sakura, closing in the gap between them.

"Wh-wha—what are you doing?" Sakura asked, trying to ignore the hard and accelerating beating of her heart.

"Do you think you know everything about me?" Itachi asked, one hand slowly rising.

"I…I know…"

"Do you think I'm a hero; the good person in the fairy tale?" He continued, gently placing his hand on her cheek.

"Ye…s…"

"Then you are wrong," Itachi stated, stroking her cheek with deliberate slowness, "I would never portray myself as the hero."

"But…you are. You are the hero. You're just not the…glorious type." Sakura said, feeling her cheeks turn hot.

"All heroes are glorious."

"No. There are also sad heroes. Heroes who do good deeds but receive no reward in return," Sakura said, taking a step back and breaking away from Itachi's warmth.

"There are heroes like you, Itachi, who think of themselves as the villain and blame themselves for everything. But nonetheless, you are still a hero."

Itachi stood and looked at her.

Perhaps…this was the time. Perhaps he should ask her. Now.

"I have a plan." Itachi simply stated.

"A plan?"

"Of my own, and not concerning the Akatsuki."

"Oh," Sakura said in realization, eyes widening.

"I ask that you join me in carrying out this plan." Itachi said carefully.

"Join?"

Itachi nodded.

"Wait…but…" it seemed as if the kunoichi was debating with herself, "what is this plan?"

Itachi did not answer.

"I have to know, otherwise how am I supposed to decide whether or not to jo…Oh," realization dawned on Sakura, "you want to know if I am trustworthy."

"I already said I'd be your friend, didn't I?" She continued, "then…."

She looked up at the sky for a moment, blinking, eyes looking faraway and looking deep in thought.

"Then…..yes. Yes. I will join you. I'll be your friend."

* * *

Shizune sighed as she sorted through an old pile of documents.

"Why can't shishou do this herself?" she grumbled, hauling a pile and dumping them onto the table. As she went for the next pile, though, she tripped and fell face first, followed by a rain of papers.

"Oww…." She grumbled, rubbing her head and wincing. As she started to stand, a certain document caught her eye.

"Eh….what's this?" Shizune reached for it and squinted at the printed words.

And her eyes widened.

Tsunade wasn't font of people who barged into the Hokage's room—_her_ room—without knocking or announcing beforehand.

So she was about to snap at the intruder when a piece of old text was shoved in her face.

"Read. Read this," Shizune panted.

"What is it?" Tsunade took the paper and took a good look at it.

And her eyes widened.

* * *

It was only a matter of time before Kakashi realized that there was someone ahead of them, closing in. He glanced towards Naruto. By the way the blonde was slightly slowing down; he knew that Naruto had sensed it too.

"I think I sense Shikamaru," Naruto said.

And true to his words, two figures appeared before them. As both sides got closer, Sai realized that it was Konoha shinobi.

"Shikamaru, Ino," Naruto greeted, "but where's Chouji?"

"Chouji is on another errand," Shikamaru answered.

"Naruto," Ino said, "we're here because Hokage-sama orders that all of you are to return to Konoha right away."

"What?!" Naruto shouted, "but…we saw Sakura! We saw her!!"

"Sakura…you saw her?" Ino asked with eagerness, but was stopped by Shikamaru.

"As much as I hate to say this, but Haruno Sakura isn't of an importance at the moment."

"Shikamaru! How can you say that?!"

"What Hokage-sama needs to tell us is far more important than our kidnapped comrade."

"What else is there that's more important than saving Sakura?!"

"Naruto," Kakashi said in a stern voice, "listen."

"Hokage-sama has ordered that Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, Sai, and Uchiha Sasuke return to Konoha." Shikamaru recited off his head.

"Reason?" Kakashi asked.

Shikamaru's gaze shifted across the four faces before him.

"It's unknown, but it seems very urgent. When I was in the Hokage's room, I saw her clutching a council document that seemed very old."

"Council?"

"This has nothing to do with me."

Everybody turned to look at the silent Sasuke, his face a mask of impatience.

"That's right," Sai commented, "Uchiha Sasuke is a missing nin as of now, so why would this concern him?"

"I'm not in the position to answer, and it's not like I know, either," Shikamaru answered. He sighed and scratched his head, "this is all getting too troublesome. Why not just go back? You'll get your explanation there."

"But what about Sakura?!" Naruto asked.

There was a silence as Shikamaru looked away and Ino looked down at her feet.

"I'll go."

Once again, all eyes were on Sasuke.

"Whatever is important, it does not concern me. I am a missing nin; Konoha has no ties with me no matter what," he told Shikamaru and Ino.

"You want Sakura, I'll bring her back," he told them, "but that goes with the deal that I kill Itachi first."

"How can we be sure that you'll keep your promise?" Ino asked, "what if you forgot about Sakura at the sight of Itachi? What if you kill her too?"

Sasuke looked at Ino with a look that sent shudders of terror down her back.

"Then that would be her fault, and not mine, if she were to get in my way."

The rest were in silence, both of shock and grim, as Sasuke proceeded to continue on, leaving the group behind him.

"Wait, Sasuke!"

Sasuke stopped, but did not turn back.

Naruto took a deep breath.

"If you don't get Sakura-chan out of there safely, I'll kick your sorry ass, dattebayo!"

There was a pause as everyone waited for a reply.

"…hn."

And Sasuke disappeared.

* * *

They were in Itachi's room, windows closed, door locked, walls shielded with chakra. It was time to discuss. Sakura stood next to Itachi, wanting very badly to sit down. But manners prevented her—Itachi himself was standing too.

"So, what is this plan that you are talking about?" Sakura asked, taking to leaning against his table.

"You read the Konoha mission scroll," Itachi started, "so you should know that the entire Uchiha clan was erased, save for one."

Itachi saw that Sakura fidgeted at the mention of the sole survivor, but he continued as if he hadn't noticed.

"I didn't kill them all."

Sakura looked at him sharply.

"Heh?"

"Someone helped me assassinate the clan," Itachi stated, "his name is Uchiha Madara."

"Uchiha…Madara…" Sakura whispered as the details of Konoha history taught when she was little replayed in her mind until she matched a face with the name.

"But…I heard….a Madara talking with you…"

"That was Uchiha Madara."

"_The_ Uchiha Madara?" Sakura gasped, "but he's supposed to be dead!"

Itachi didn't say a word.

"So he's not dead," Sakura murmured, "but why does he have to slaughter his own clan?"

"Madara felt that he was betrayed by his clan." Itachi answered.

"Betrayed?"

"Before Konoha was founded, the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan that were the dominating clans. There was much bloodshed before the Senju clan's leader offered a truce with Madara. Despite his protests, the Uchiha clan disagreed with him, and Madara was forced to accept the truce. After the Senju clan's leader was chosen as the first Hokage, Madara decided to challenge him, but the clan refused to help him because they did not want to reignite the war."

"That's why…" Sakura drawled.

"So the clan that betrayed him has vanished, what else does he have in mind?"

"I do not know of his true intentions," Itachi said, "but I know that he plans to use Sasuke."

"Sasuke?!" Sakura exclaimed, a bit too loud.

In a flash, Itachi's hand was over her mouth, and Sakura was glad his hand was big enough to conceal the blush appearing on her cheeks.

"This room may have been chakra shielded, but we're the Akatsuki."

She opened her mouth to reply, but by doing so her lips brushed Itachi's palm and his hand disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared over her mouth.

"This is all you need to know for now," Itachi said as he did a hand motion and the chakra shielded room returned to normal.

"All? For now?" Sakura asked, "but, there must be…"

"We still have time," Itachi interrupted.

Peeved at the interruption, Sakura was not about to give up.

"You said that you wanted my help! You asked me to join you in your plan! And this is all I'm allowed to know?"

"You," Itachi replied in a steady tone, "have been in my room for more than half an hour. As you are a woman and I am a man, there will most certainly be misunderstandings."

"Mis…" Sakura's face turned bright red, "…..oh."

With this, Itachi gestured towards the door and Sakura prepared to leave.

"Tomorrow, then?" she asked, looking back over her shoulder with a smile on her face. Itachi could only but wonder how this girl's mood could change so fast.

"I will inform you." He replied.

And so she disappeared, that pink flash with the glowing green lights and bright smile.

And Itachi suddenly felt that the room had never seemed as dull as it did now.

* * *

**(A/N): that's what i've got so far, even though it's not that great. I was really desperate in trying to get a chapter out for you guys. **

**Can we aim for 110 reviews? I'd really like some cheering-me-up stuff not only for this story, but for March 25th!!! the competition is, like, the final round where all champions from different Taiwan nations compete (I'm from Taipei). :)**

** So what is it that made Tsunade's eyes widen and call for Naruto and them to return to Konoha? Any guesses? (the next chapter will be dedicated to whoever guess right!) because the next chapter holds the answer!**


	16. Chapter 16

**(A/N): so yeah it's been quite a while. high school huh...first exam week is over. 2nd one coming up...and my sister is coming BACK from UChicago! XD yesh i wanna go shoppin' with her.**

**this one is kind of short. and i realize that there is an obvious change in my writing style. i don't kno if it's for better or for worse. D:**

**AND!**

**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO!: craizypet, andye, ylfrettub, Romancelover1321, aimiera, doll-in-mourning, Akatsuki Sakura Uchiha, and GoonieLove.**

**as well as sachiko haruki for saying violin is fun :) it sure is.**

**and 27, demonrose321, DarkMangaIza, and harunosakua for reviewing to give me more reviews. :3, that's sweet.**

**and yes i did win that competition. haha that was so long ago XD and there's another one coming up! in February. i'm hoping to cram down my ideas for the next 2 chapters by end of winter break. if i can. we'll see.**

**uhm, Happy Early X'mas ? :D yeah i mean that. i was going to upload this on x'mas but i don't think i'll have time. and recently i'm more into other anime/manga than naruto. so keep an eye on my profile to see any updates and uploads.**

**without further ado...**

**dislaimer: no own**

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* * *

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He had to get there. Fast.

The trees flashed by him as he continued onwards, onwards, onwards.

There was no time to waste. Itachi was so close.

_'You want Sakura, I'll bring her back'_

Abruptly, Sasuke stopped short in his tracks and cursed loudly.

What had he been thinking? Was he really that desperate to reach his brother that he would say such impossible promises?

_You don't have to._

"?" Sasuke landed on a branch, stopped, and looked around. Who just said that?

_You don't have to follow through on your promise, Sasuke-kun._

"Who are you?" he demanded.

_Sasuke-kun._

"Answer me." He barked.

_Sasuke._

"Who is this!" Sasuke growled, whipping his head around this way and that, searching for a shadow and finding none. He listened for a rustle of clothing and heard none.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Before him stood an Akatsuki with an orange mask. There was one hole in it, leaving space for one eye to see through. However, apart from that hole and his hair, the rest of him was completely concealed.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, "and how do you know me?"

The man took a step forward, and Sasuke in return took a step back. Something about this man set off warning alarms in Sasuke's mind. He was far worse than Orochimaru.

"Who am I, you asked?" the man drawled.

"I…"

"am Uchiha Madara."

* * *

"Sakura."

Said girl turned towards the owner of the voice, and came face to face with none other than Uchiha Itachi.

"Come," he said, motioning towards the entrance to his room. Sakura followed without hesitance, pointedly ignoring Deidara's quiet sneer of 'Oh? Am I missing something?' He was obviously wrong, and it wasn't like she was going to correct his wrong assumption.

Yes, that was right. She and Itachi had already thought of this. They would allow the rest of the Akatsuki members to think what they like, and if rumors spread too far and Leader-sama shows up irritated, they would use the excuse that she and Itachi were merely plotting the plan to kidnap the kyuubi. And it wasn't as if Leader-sama would object to this; he'd already promised her that he would let her capture the kyuubi. Therefore, she was free to accept the help of any other individual.

And everything would settle from there.

In the meantime, they—she and Itachi—would proceed to elaborate on Itachi's plan. The plan to stop Madara from capturing Sasuke.

As she stepped into Itachi's room, Sakura felt a soothing feeling come over her. Perhaps it was because she finally had someone she could truly trust among the elite nin, or perhaps it was merely because Itachi was her friend. Self-claimed, of course. Besides, the word 'friend' seemed too affectionate to describe who he was to her. Yet friend was what she had called him, and friend was what he will be.

As she took a stand by the window, Sakura couldn't help but notice the way Itachi was positioned on his bed, a long leg dangling off the edge, the other folded inwards as if shielding half of his identity.

Which, ironically speaking, was what he was doing. He was hiding his true side and revealing the false side that had fooled everyone and anyone except her.

And Sakura opened her mouth before she could stop herself.

"You," she said, "don't seem to care if you are the one who gets the worst end of everything, do you?"

He looked at her.

"And what of yourself?" he asked.

"Heh?" Sakura was taken aback by the question, "what of…."

"If that's the case," she said, studying the forest out the window, "I'll just tell them they've got it all wrong, that I'm not a bad person."

Itachi looked at her with mild amusement. Foolish girl, she has not seen enough of the world.

"People are not so easily accepting."

"There are people who believe in me," Sakura argued defensively.

"They can always betray you."

"They wouldn't." Sakura retorted, feeling her neck burning.

"Why wouldn't they?"

"And since when did you decide to interrogate me?" Sakura snapped, knowing that her temper was once again going to be the end of her, yet not caring, "this isn't an interrogation center! I'm not some shinobi with a bounty on my head!"

"But you are," Itachi replied quietly, and his tone made Sakura's anger subside.

For a long while they stared at each other, Sakura's eyes wide and Itachi's unfathomable.

"Right," Sakura muttered under her breath, "how incredibly _silly_ of me to forget that. At least I'm not the one who's the hidden hero of Konoha's history."

Itachi was in front of her right after she finished her sentence, and Sakura gasped at the sight of the Sharingan.

"Who are you to judge me?" Itachi asked in a velvet tone, though Sakura could sense there was an underlying emotion.

"I'm not judging you," she replied, not knowing why her voice was unsteady, "I'm just stating a fact."

"A fact," Itachi drawled, tilting his head and exposing a wide view of his neck.

Sakura felt her cheeks turn hot as she stared and stared at Itachi's neck. And then, her eyes crept up to his lips, his nose, and to his...

Dark grey eyes. Eyes that were so dark they were almost black, but Sakura was sure it was just a very, very dark shade of grey. The eyes weren't pitch-black; they weren't pits that she would fall into and feel uneasy looking at. They made her feel safe and warm, pleasant. They didn't make her feel awkward, pathetic, hateful. They weren't the eyes of…

"Can we get back on task?" Sakura asked in a loud voice, "I have a spar with Deidara later."

She studiously looked anywhere but at Itachi as she felt his eyes survey her. She didn't want him to find out what she'd been thinking of, and no way in hell was she going to let him find out that she was deeply confused at why she was slightly shivering at the feel of his breath on her skin.

"Leader-sama wants us to go to Suna."

"Suna?" Sakura asked.

"It is a simple mission; we merely have to retrieve money from a contact," Itachi answered, "it is also better for us to plan without insecurity."

"Bett—" Sakura was about to ask, "oh." Insecurity. Walls with ears.

"Then I'm going to get packing," she started, scooting away from Itachi and striding towards the door, "the sooner we leave the better, yeah?"

And she was gone.

* * *

Tsunade was a woman acknowledged for many of her features. Her looks, for one, her beauty, her nonexistent gambling luck, her extreme power in both beating someone up and healing them.

But to those very close to her, Tsunade was mostly acknowledged as a hot-headed person.

She was currently in her office, looking out the back window. Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai were lined up perfectly before her desk, shoulders stiff and faces grim. They could sense her uneasiness and were anxious to know why. They were waiting, albeit impatiently, for her to start speaking. And once she did, they could hardly believe their ears.

"Uchiha Itachi massacred the Uchiha clan under the Council's orders."

….

….

"Ne….Ba-chan, that's….you're joking…right?" Naruto asked weakly, a humorless smile on his face.

"Why would I have time to joke about this?" Tsunade thundered, and immediately the three nin became wary.

"I want to know why. I _need_ to know why. Why would the Council decide to eliminate the Uchiha clan, and why Uchiha Itachi? Why did Sarutobi do nothing about this? And why would Uchiha Itachi carry out the mission without…without…."

Immediately, Kakashi realized, that they could not go after Sakura. The way Tsunade's voice faltered meant that there is an unanswered question hovering in the air, and Tsunade did not like questions without answers.

This was not good. If they did not hurry to Sakura, who knows what will happen if Sasuke does indeed make it there successfully.

Speaking of Sasuke, shouldn't he know of this too?

As if to answer Kakashi's question, Tsunade whirled around and demanded, "Where is Uchiha Sasuke?"

And that was when they knew that they'd made a mistake.

* * *

Suna was like the second Konoha to Sakura although it did not look a bit like the forestry Leaf village. It was just that Sakura had spent too much time in Suna that she felt connected to that place. If she was still in Konoha and not an Akatsuki and someone had told her that she was to depart for Suna immediately, she would have went immediately.

However, the situation was different, and she _was_ an Akatsuki.

And there is the question of how to infiltrate Suna without any unnecessary obstacles.

Sakura looked sideways at Itachi, whose gaze was fixed firmly ahead as they continued to travel through the trees.

"Itachi-san, may I ask how we will be infiltrating Suna?"

There was a pause, before Itachi answered.

"We will not harm anyone."

Sakura almost smiled. He knew. Itachi knew that she was worried about injuring anyone close to her.

"So how will we enter, then?"

"Genjutsu."

"Suna nin are not so inept as to fall for a mere Genjutsu."

Itachi slid a glance at her, slightly amused.

"Then perhaps we should revert to weapons."

"You wouldn't."

"Why would I not?"

"You don't kill unless necessary."

Foolish girl, Itachi thought. Just because she considers herself a 'friend', this does not mean she knows everything.

"What makes you think so?" he asked.

"I don't," Sakura answered without missing a beat.

"I just know."

* * *

Kakashi did not know how to deal with the situation at hand. There were four people in the room, two who were both red-faced and about to explode, one looking slightly troubled, and himself.

Perhaps he should grab a hold of Naruto first before the boy tries to take on the livid Tsunade.

"Naruto, your anger will not give us the answers we need," Kakashi tried to calm him down.

"But Kakashi-sensei!," Kakashi inwardly winced at the furious and extremely prominent voice that was now directed at him, "we've got to get to Sakura before Sasuke kills off the wrong person!"

"Itachi probably won't be that easy to kill" Sai pointed out.

"What if Sasuke kills Sakura!"

"Do not underestimate your teammate, Naruto!" Tsunade's voice was rising too, "remember, she is my apprentice!"

"Then why is she not here! Why isn't she here where it's safe, where all her friends are there for her?"

"Sakura isn't that weak!"

"Admit it, Ba-chan, even you are worried about her!"

Oh no, Kakashi thought, that was the wrong thing to say, Naruto.

"As Hokage, I have to put my people before everything else," Tsunade's voice softened, "I cannot afford to worry about only one person when the rest of my people out there have lived and are living knowing that Uchiha Itachi is a traitor. The Council must be dealt with immediately. There is no time for Haruno Sakura."

The room was filled with heavy remorse.

Just when Kakashi thought nothing could be done, Sai spoke up.

"I can obtain information of the Council."

Every head turned to look at him.

"Danzou is cooperating secretly with the Council; therefore there are times when ANBU Root has done missions for the Council. We are let in on the Council documents when need be."

"And you suppose Danzou would trust you, if you ask nicely?" Tsunade asked sarcastically.

"Sai doesn't need to ask," Kakashi said.

The Council must be in deep with Danzou. Perhaps it wasn't really the Council who suggested the massacre, but Danzou. After all, ANBU Root was supposed to be terminated long ago. Danzou must have a superior motive if he dared to disobey the Hokage's orders.

"Explain, Kakashi." Tsunade demanded.

"Sai doesn't need to ask," Kakashi repeated.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed in impatience.

"Kakashi!"

"I was just thinking," Kakashi answered, "about old people."

"Hatake Kakashi—"

"About how fragile they are," Kakashi continued, a weird glint in his eyes.

"And how it's better that they get a head start on the road to heaven."

* * *

The guards were easy to handle; one look at Itachi's eyes and they were down, lost in whatever illusion was bestowed upon them. As they entered, both cast a genjutsu on their appearance. None of them were recognizable; Itachi had turned himself into a blonde, and Sakura had transferred her pink hair into a curtain of black strands.

"Be flattered," Sakura teased when Itachi looked her way, "this image was inspired by your carefully combed hair."

Not that she had the heart to feel relaxed, but she did not like the thought of infiltrating Sand. After all, there were many people that she had deep bonds with; what would happen if she were exposed?

No, she mustn't think about that. First and foremost she must retrieve the money from Itachi. After that, she'll think of what she could do.

"So, where exactly is this contact?" she asked.

"Do not worry," was her answer.

"What? I heard from Deidara that one of his contacts lived in some type of underground chamber, and didn't you and Kisame have a contact that refused to leave his cave behind a waterfall?"

"Aa." She did not see Itachi's amused look.

"So where is this contact? Is he living beneath a pond or something?"

"She," Itachi answered, "lives in a normal environment."

"She?" Sakura asked.

Itachi glanced at her, "yes."

"Oh," Sakura blinked, "well, at least it's a normal environment. Wait, do you mean by—"

"She lives in a building," Itachi answered.

"Oh. I see."

Sakura did not like the smirk that Itachi bestowed on her.

"However, entering might be slightly challenging for you."

* * *

The blonde prostitute pressed her chest closer to Sakura's arm, and Sakura mentally winced as she felt her arm trapped between two soft mounds of flesh.

"Ne, Itachi-sama, you've brought with you an inexperienced one," she pouted, "he's all jittery and trying to escape from me. It's no fun."

At this, Sakura eyed the Akatsuki and glared, daring him to smirk.

But of course he did.

"I see," Itachi spoke, his deep voice emitting sounds of approval and admiration from the many women gathered around him.

Sakura paled as his smirk grew deeper.

"What do you wish me to order him to do?"

At this, the women shrieked with delight.

"Make him take off his shirt!"

"Give me a kiss, he's so cute!"

"I want him to hold me too!"

"I want to pinch his cheek!"

"Stupid girl, not just his cheek! Pinch his ass!"

And that brought about another round of giggles and shrieks.

"_I'm_ not letting go of him, just so you all know," the blonde by Sakura announced firmly, and promptly crawled into Sakura's lap, causing the girl to yell in surprise.

"Now, now," the blonde teased, cupping Sakura's cheek in one hand and moving her face closer, "no need to be afraid. Kana-chan is really gentle with first-timers."

"D-d," Sakura stuttered, "don't get so close to me!"

"Ara," Kana whined as she was roughly pushed off, "Itachi-sama! Tell him to be gentle! Kana is trying her best, mou!"

Sakura felt like punching something when Itachi turned to her and said, "Be gentle with women, Okita."

"I want to leave," Sakura growled, "why are we here in the first place? Where is that woman you—mmph!"

All around her, Sakura heard the women quiet down. She wondered where that annoying Kana was, but at the moment she couldn't help but notice the lips pressed against her own as well as the gentle body weight on top of her own.

As the lips left hers, Sakura gasped for breath and scrambled out from beneath the new arrival. However, she tripped over Kana's feet and landed on her bottom, head snapping back from the force. She closed her eyes and waited for the incoming impact, but a large hand firmly cupped the back of her head.

"Hana-san," Sakura looked up behind her to see Itachi greeting the new arrival, "please don't tease him."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sakura's head snapped back towards the person who had just kissed her, "your new partner here just looked too cute, I couldn't refrain myself."

Itachi stood, "Let's go," he said.

"I will go prepare the room," Hana-san said coyly, and turned to the rest of the women, "alright, girls, I'll be taking these two with me. Help your other sisters with their customers, and be nice."

Sakura looked on as the women, so wild and unbelievably shameless before, listened obediently to this woman and left, adjusting their clothing and hair, turning completely different from before.

A hand stuck out in front of her, and she looked up to see Itachi's face.

Not wanting to see his smirk, she turned away.

"I can stand by myself, Itachi-san."

"Hn," he said, and waited for her to stand.

"Be on your guard from now on."

"Eh? Why?" Sakura asked.

Itachi started walking.

"Why?" Sakura asked again.

But Itachi didn't give an answer.

* * *

**(A/N): woah...Sakura must be scarred now. and this whole prostitute thingy wasn't according to my original plot. but i decided that (here's a SPOILER! if u read this carefully!) i can't have sakura clueless the entire time and only itachi knowing about his feelings as well as hers. so something's gna happen with Hana-san :D**

**i still feel the prostitute scene is random. but it's necessary for...oops. giving too much away ;)**

**thanks so much for the support guys. it's wonderful. you guys are wonderful. makes me so happy.**

**until next time? :D**

**oh w8! here's a little funny thing that i wanted to write. i originally planned for this:**

"Now, now," the blonde teased, cupping Sakura's cheek in one hand and moving her face closer, "no need to be afraid. Kana-chan is really gentle with first-timers."

"D-d," Sakura stuttered, "don't get so close to me!"

"Ara," Kana whined as she was roughly pushed off, "Itachi-sama! Tell him to be gentle! Kana is trying her best, mou!"

Sakura felt like punching something when Itachi turned to her and said, "Be gentle with women, Okita."

"I want to leave," Sakura growled, "why are we here in the first place? Where is that woman you—mmph!"

All around her, Sakura heard the women quiet down. She wondered where that annoying Kana was, but at the moment she couldn't help but notice the lips pressed against her own as well as the gentle body weight on top of her own.

As the lips left hers, Sakura gasped for breath and stared into the eyes of Itachi.

"I told you to be gentle with women, Okita. Come now, Okita. This is unlike you; show them how gentle and obedient you are at night, when you're alone...with me."

...

...

...

"I...I...

ITACHI!"

**of course. ur his friend no, sakura? be more considerate. he's a MAN, u kno. haha.**

**and i hav no idea how sakura should look like in male form. should she hav red hair or brown? i might describe that in next chapter...i left it blank in this one.**

**:D and things are turning more exciting. kakashi and them are going to make a move, and sasuke has to confront madara...or will he?**

**now... until next time!**

**sizuka chan**


	17. Chapter 17

**(A/N): so it has been a very, very, very long time, and while I was guiltily reading amazing fanfics, I'd been neglecting my own and my poor stories are slowly, slowly, rotting away. My only excuse is that high school is a mess, and I've been preparing for international competitions so there wasn't as much free time where my brain actually relaxed and allowed my ItaSaku muse to return. This chapter comes from what I wrote a while ago, and I have to say I'm uneasy with the story so far because my writing has changed ****_drastically_**** and I'm struggling to make everything flow. At the same time I wince at my previous chapters; at the flow of the plot, at the word choice, etc. But for the moment I'm not going to change anything about it. I'll focus on continuing writing the plot for this story first.**

**One more thing.**

**I made a VERY bad mistake that I hadn't realized until now. MUCH too late. But.**

**Mikoto-san is Mikoto-san, and has no relationship with the Uchihas save for her working for Itachi. Maybe that was one of the reasons why Itachi chose her to work for him, because she has the same name as Uchiha Mikoto.**

**But for now, Mikoto-san will be Mikoto-san, the old lady.**

**So please enjoy what little there is in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.**

* * *

"What the fucking hell," Sakura muttered viciously.

"Oh my," Hana-san had a shocked look on her face, "how manly this boy is!" she smiled coyly as she poured sake for Sakura and sat closer.

"Do you wish to untie my obi tonight, boy?" Hana-san whispered as she bent to place the cup of tea before the 'youth', purposely angling her mouth so that her breath tickled the young boy's neck.

"No!" Hana-san smiled as the boy gritted out a reply. How amusing. Tonight was certainly a special one for her in all her fifteen years as a full-fledged geisha.

And she will make sure that it would be a special one for this Okita, too.

"You do not regret your decision?" Hana-san prodded, pressing her full breasts to Okita's body. She smirked as Okita gave a jolt and tensed.

"Yes," Okita hissed, "I mean…no! Yes! I mean…!"

"If you cannot decide," Hana-san said, slowly crawling into Okita's lap, "then should I decide for you?"

The boy was silent and shaking, and Hana-san decided that he just needed a bit more.

"Why are you so worried?" she kissed Okita's jaw, "if this is your first time," she murmured as she trailed down Okita's neck, "then I'll be gentle with you." And with that she nipped Okita's collarbone.

"No!" Hana-san chuckled as the youth scrambled out from beneath her, "no, I don't want to spend the night with you or sleep with you or any of the sort!"

"Why not?" she asked, pouting her lips and purposefully taking on a sitting position in which her thighs and cleavage were very visible.

Okita's face turned blood red.

"Why? WHY? I'LL TELL YOU WHY! I DON'T LIKE WOMEN!"

Silence filled the room.

Hana-san was _very_ amused. Surely she should have such customers piling in, instead of the boring ones where they just want the company of a fine woman.

"You don't like women?" she asked.

"N-no! No! That's not what I meant!" Okita stammered, "I mean…agh! I mean! If you really want company, uh, why don't you ask Itachi-san?"

In which Hana-san followed Okita's shaking and accusing finger to see the raven-haired man sitting quietly on the other side of the room.

"Hmm?" Hana-san tilted her neck so that her cleavage showed towards the other male, "now that I think of it, it _has_ been a while, hasn't it, Itachi-san?"

"Indeed," Itachi replied as Sakura's jaws dropped wide open, "I assume that your particular hobby at teasing men has not changed?"

"Of course not," Hana-san chuckled and stood up. Before Sakura knew what was happening, Hana-san had pushed her down and was now piling on top of her.

"I assume you do not like seeing her being touched like this, do you, Itachi-san?"

Sakura froze.

"If you knew from the start, then you shouldn't have wasted so much time teasing her."

"But she's so adorable, and so young too!" Sakura struggled as Hana-san stroked her cheek, "it reminds me of when I first became a geisha. Ah, how cruel time is!"

"Hana-san."

"Hai, hai," at Itachi's slightly colder voice, Hana-san extricated herself from Sakura and walked over to sit before Itachi. Confused, Sakura stood up too and walked over to sit next to Itachi, not seeing the amused glance Hana-san gave her or the secretive smile she spared Itachi.

"I have heard of something, but not much. I don't' know if it would help you. After all, most of it came from Mikoto-san when she came to visit."

…

…

"Mikoto-san?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan," Hana-san chuckled as Itachi looked at Sakura with a mild look of concern, "Mikoto-san and I are acquaintances."

Sakura could only stare. What was going on? One minute they had just entered Suna, and the next they were in the most famous okiya, surrounded by women. And then they were here in this room with the most highly desired oiran.

"I..Itachi..?" Sakura asked confusedly, reaching out to touch Itachi's arm, "is she..is Hana-san the contact you were talking of?"

Itachi nodded, knowing that Sakura would have noticed the gesture, and turned back to the oiran.

"What did Mikoto-san say?"

"Ah, she stated that the party of four shinobi—one blonde, one white-haired and masked, and two dark heads—departed soon after Sakura-chan and you left—but I don't know what that means….hm, and she said that she saw the blonde, the white-haired, and one of the dark heads rushing back the way they came from, accompanied by a blonde woman and a man with hair pulled back in a high and short ponytail."

"Ino and Shikamaru," Itachi heard Sakura whisper.

"Which dark head, Hana-san?" Sakura asked, eager to know, "did Mikoto-san say what he was wearing, or—"

"I assume it is not Itachi-san's otouto."

Both Itachi and Sakura started.

"How do you know this?" Itachi questioned.

Hana-san pursed her lips.

"Well…if it were Itachi-san's otouto, he would have no reason to return; he is a missing-nin and Konoha has no relation with him anymore other than that it wants his head," Hana-san said, "am I wrong, Itachi-san?"

"But—" Sakura cried out.

"Indeed; Sasuke would definitely come for me," Itachi murmured.

"Why would Ino and Shikamaru need to retrieve Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Sai? Why do they need to return to Konoha, and why did Naruto let Sasuke go so easily?"

"What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" Hana-san questioned.

"I mean…it means…" Sakura was somehow very aware of Itachi's gaze on her, and it was all she could do to not fidget, "I know Naruto and them well enough that they would never desert me for several reasons, so whatever it is that Ino and Shikamaru told Naruto, it must have been more important than what I mean to him. And, well, Sasuke is very important to Naruto too, so I cannot even begin to imagine how he could've gotten away from Naruto without at least a fight, and I know Naruto's not as weak as he was before."

"At least there's still someone coming for you, Sakura-chan," Hana-san teased, "how jealous I am of you! Knowing Itachi-san, I'm sure his otouto is also very handsome. Oh, you lucky darling!"

And then Itachi's eyes widened as Hana-san stood abruptly and tackled Sakura, the younger woman letting out a little shriek.

"Won't you stay here with me, Sakura-chan? I'll take good care of you," Hana-san whined as she wrapped her arms around the younger girl's neck and nuzzled Sakura's collarbone, "I can give you happiness that no man can give."

Even though he knew he shouldn't be reacting this way, Itachi was immensely amused at Sakura's bewilderment and apparent shock as she tried to stutter a polite 'No thank you' to the older woman.

Something Sakura said earlier was pulling at Itachi.

_'..It must have been more important than what I mean to him'_

Yes. That was it. Though Itachi knew that the bond between Sakura and Naruto was more likely to be one of strong friendship, he could not help but feel uncomfortable at how she worded it.

He was jealous. Itachi was amused at this. When was the last time he felt jealousy?

Ah. Of course. How could he ask himself such a silly question?

How could he forget the countless times that he felt jealous of Sasuke.

As if a trigger had been pulled, memories of his childhood—memories that he had forced himself to forget—came pouring back into his mind. Suddenly he felt annoyed, and without speaking Itachi stood to his feet and headed for the door.

"Itachi?"

At the sound of Sakura's voice, Itachi paused.

"I will be resting in another room. We will head out tomorrow before the sun rises."

With that, Itachi closed the screen door shut behind him.

* * *

"You have no need to worry."

"Eh?"

Hana-san moved away from Sakura, eyes twinkling.

"Itachi-san will only be resting. He won't be doing anything else. He never does."

"Resting…" Sakura whispered to herself.

"Please tell me, Hana-san," Hana-san noticed a gleam in Sakura's eyes, "how long have you worked for Itachi?"

Hana-san smiled to herself and giggled. Reaching out with one hand, she gently tapped Sakura's lips.

"Little Sakura-chan, don't you mean to ask me more?"

Sakura's eyes widened, and for a moment the gleam disappeared. Suddenly, it was back, and the elder woman was taken by surprise at the younger woman's burning eyes.

"If Hana-san is willing, I would like to know as much of Itachi as possible," Sakura said firmly, "please."

* * *

It was weird. She shouldn't be feeling this after so many years. In fact, she'd forgotten the last time she'd ever felt this way. But it was back, and this time more forcefully than ever. The jealousy was consuming her. Even worse, Sakura couldn't figure out if the jealousy was directed towards Hana-san or Itachi. On one hand, she wished that Itachi was more open with her, that he could tell her more. On the other hand, she didn't want to spend time with Itachi. Sure she had told him to treat her as a friend, that she would be his friend, that she would think of him as a friend, but there was something that made her unconsciously back away from him. Stuck in this situation, Sakura thought it might be best to talk to Hana-san.

It had been a surprise, truly, that Itachi would have a contact in the red light district. It wasn't an uncommon choice, but somehow Sakura didn't think it fit Itachi's image. Which displeased Sakura even further—that Itachi was still an enigma to her, after all the time they've spent together.

Hearing her name, Sakura looked towards the older woman. Hana-san was looking at her with serious eyes.

"Are you sure you want to hear from me?" Hana-san asked, "wouldn't you want to hear it from Itachi-san himself?"

Sakura was taken aback.

"What do you mean, Hana-san?"

"Sakura-chan," Hana-san replied, "do you think Itachi-san wouldn't mind you knowing his past?"

* * *

As Hana-san left Sakura's room, she felt the presence of someone beside her.

"I hadn't thought you'd be so rude as to eavesdrop on ladies' talk," Hana-san purred, "Itachi-san."

Red eyes flashed in the dimly lit hallway.

"I didn't say anything," Hana-san smiled, "not that there's much I know to begin with."

He still remained silent. She began to walk towards him.

"If I were you, I'd tell her everything. It seems she already knows what I know."

"There's no need to tell her what would hurt her." He replied.

She scoffed.

"Men. That's what they all think."

She smiled a secretive one, and he tensed.

"You foolish man. You cannot even see what is in front of you."

He narrowed his blood-red eyes.

The older woman gently patted his cheek twice.

"I would understand why you wouldn't have noticed, since you can enter places such as these so easily and not fall prey. But you had better observe with those sharp eyes of yours in not only shinobi matters, but personal ones too."

And with a chuckle, she left him in the hallway.

* * *

**(A/N): yes. that is it for now. I would gladly give a little trailer or peek at what's coming up next, but sadly all I can say is that things are going to get really, really complicated, and it involves the Sand Siblings, lots of pondering, and a fight between Itachi and Sakura.**

**My muse for ItaSaku, or Naruto in general, has been evading me like a fairy of the wild .Between the last update and this one, I realized that this story is very, very cliched in terms of ItaSaku plot and my passion for it dwindled. I will try to add little by little, but believe me this story WILL be finished. I already have the end in mind, and several other bits and pieces so I myself an ANXIOUS to see the end. However, I might even begin to write other fanfics, and continue Broken Wings. When it comes to writing stories, however, my mind is more occupied by an original plot of mine, inspired by various BJD (ball-jointed doll) pictures on dArt.**

**This is it for now. I'm not sure when the next update will be but it certainly won't be in September because I will be in Budapest, Hungary, competing and most likely freaking out every single second.**

**Until next time!**


	18. Chapter 18

**(A/N): wow. speedy update. BE WARNED, however, that this is an EXTREMELY SHORT chapter. I decided that I was going to get at least one more chapter before I become MIA again. This was all that I could force out in two days, and I thought I should end it here for now. Next update would undoubtedly be more suspenseful and entertaining. This is more of a bridge between the previous arc and the upcoming arc. We are now nearing the second half of the entire story.**

**Also, many thanks to all of you who continue to put faith in me and this story, and to those of you who find the time to review. I know I used to write 'Read and Review' at the end of chapters, but as I look back, I find it silly and materialistic. I don't really care of people review or not, though comments are always welcomed. I feel that the previous chapters are not worthy of that much attention, and I will try my best to improve with the upcoming chapters.**

**Enough of the author's babbling, on to the (ridiculously short) chapter!**

**Disclaimer: no own.**

* * *

He had not slept for the entire night, trying desperately to decipher what Hana-san had told him, but failing to get anywhere. What had she meant? Was he missing something? Was it Sakura? Was Sakura hiding something from him? Something important?

Trying his best to ignore the flirtatious giggles coming from young geishas that weren't here long enough to know the real reason why he was considered an 'old customer', Itachi made his way towards Sakura's room.

As he neared, he realized that Sakura was still sleeping. Deliberately, he slowed his footsteps and made them heavier. True as he thought, the sound of his footsteps woke her. When he arrived in front of her screen door, he spoke.

"Come down for breakfast." As Hana-san's guests, they were to share 'breakfast' with her in her chambers.

As he was about to turn away, he heard her call him.

"Itachi!"

He halted.

"Yes?"

He could feel her hesitate, obviously thinking about what to say. He allowed the wait, not knowing why he was being patient with her when he had a busy day ahead of him and should not be wasting any time at all.

He heard the shuffling of clothing and awkward footsteps when the shogi screen slid open and Sakura stepped out as Okita. The pink haired girl was no more; in her place was Okita the brunette in the simple white shirt and black pants.

Itachi didn't know why Sakura was staring at him as if she had something to say, but when the kunoichi walked ahead towards Hana-san's room downstairs he followed quietly. As usual, the women they passed by eyed them appreciatively, and Itachi was amused to find that Okita was still squeamish around the bolder ones who grabbed at his cheeks or pinched his butt. Itachi knew what it must feel like; when he first arrived here he had been given the same treatment, until Hana-san declared it law that 'Itachi' was the untouchable. And if any of the women thought he was Hana-san's, then they were gravely wrong. Itachi might be the only person who enters the red-light district's most famous building and leaves with a night of actual sleep. He was still a virgin, and he remembered how ridiculously Hana-san had laughed, to the point that the woman could not even hold her enticing appearance. The fact that he had still to sleep with anyone had been so amusing that the older woman had actually been rendered into a cackling, sputtering mess. Itachi himself did not see how it was so entertaining; he didn't deem it important to indulge in such behavior. Even if he had been curious or tempted a few times when he was younger, he had more important things to tend to. Sasuke, Orochimaru, Madara, Danzou. Itachi had been planning and planning and it hadn't been easy to start with. Now thinking back, Itachi chided himself a fool for believing that manipulation was a simple skill. He was proven wrong when Sasuke left Konoha, and yet again when Sasuke killed the Snake Sannin. Itachi had then decided that he needed help; and that was when Jiraiya became aware of the true identity of Uchiha Itachi. Of course, the older man had been sworn to secrecy upon hearing the truth.

It had been hard. It had been hard to brush those looks aside and say that he was fine with the way things were. Jiraiya had doubted him, but Itachi knew the man wouldn't do anything about it. As much as Jiraiya had wanted to drag Itachi back to Konoha to be pardoned, he knew that they needed a spy within Akatsuki. However, the white-haired pervert had stubbornly proclaimed that one day, Itachi _will_ be pardoned. Thinking of this, Itachi gave a dark smile. To think that Sakura would say the same thing as Jiraiya, after both of them learned of who he really was. Honestly, he couldn't believe that he lived among such people back when he was a kid. They were simply too trusting, too forgiving, too _kind_. He didn't need forgiveness. He didn't need kindness. No. Itachi wanted something even better. All he wanted, all he needed, was—

"With the dazed way you're standing, people would think you were reminiscing a night of wonderful memories."

Itachi's eyes focused on the open screen door and a blushing Okita sitting opposite a very amused Hana.

"Do come in, Itachi-san," Hana gestured to an empty seat beside Okita, "I have prepared breakfast for both of you."

Wordlessly, Itachi slid in beside Sakura, all the while noticing the tense posture of his companion. He had assumed it was because of all the attention she received from her own gender, but it seems that he was wrong. Perhaps she'll tell him sometime later. After all, it wasn't like her to keep something from him for long.

"The money that you have come to collect is with me," Hana began, her hand emerging from beneath her long kimono sleeve with an envelope, "however, I must insist that the both of you stay for at least until tomorrow morning."

Itachi raised his brow, and beside him, Sakura paused from reaching for a piece of her salmon.

"Why do you insist?" Itachi asked.

The older woman smiled, "a woman's intuition."

It was just as well, Itachi thought to himself. He had business to deal with. Jiraiya was to meet him in Suna today, and he still had to plan. He was almost finished with the alternative, and whilst he had a main plan, it would be wise to have several others thought up. He also had to prepare himself for anything that would take him by surprise. Sasuke has surprised him twice; he won't allow for a third time. Everything _must_ be as planned. Everything _must_ be perfect.

"Fine," Itachi agreed, "we will stay for two more nights."

He turned to Sakura, "In the meantime, you may do as you wish, but prepare to come to me when I need you."

Sakura nodded, finish the last of her salmon.

"Thank you for the meal, Hana-san," she said, bowing her head slightly in gratitude and stood, "I will be back before dinner." She said to Itachi. He nodded, and watched as Okita closed the shogi screen behind him.

"I had better get going too," the other woman murmured as she stood, smoothing her kimono. Before leaving the room, she glanced back over her shoulder and gave Itachi a knowing look.

"Make good use of your stay here, Itachi-san."

* * *

While Itachi had been musing, Sakura had done some thinking of her own as well. It was a rare occasion for her to be away from the Akatsuki base, and with Itachi being her ally instead of any of the other Akatsuki, this was a golden chance. Itachi had said she could do whatever she wanted, and that is what she planned to do.

Sakura had been thinking this ever since the day she discovered Itachi's true identity. She had been mulling whether or not she should tell someone of the truth, because it hurt thinking that Itachi had to play the part of the enemy. It hurt to see him have to act for every passing day, every passing hour, every passing second. There was also the many years before she joined Akatsuki. The mere thought that Itachi sacrificed so much all for a country that had ordered him to massacre his family, and continued to do so even after being labeled a traitor, was like a sharp kunai twisting in Sakura's chest. It was a fault in her personality, Sakura knew. Her compassionate side was what would cause her death, as her shishou often told her.

And it was only until hearing that they were headed for Suna did Sakura come to a decision. It was the perfect opportunity. There was no Pein, no Konan, no Zetsu, no _Madara_. She was not being watched, and she was free. There was no stopping her now.

With a determined look on her face, Sakura, still in the form of the plain jounin Okita, headed for the Kazekage tower.

She was going to tell the Gaara and his siblings about Itachi.

* * *

**(A/N): maybe I should add some omake from now on, just for my own amusement. I try with this chapter.**

**OMAKE Part 1: **

Sakura scowled as Hana-san retaliated with a charming smile.

"I refuse." the younger woman growled, the action reminding Hana-san of an irritated cat.

"But Sakura-chan, this might be the only chance for you! Once in a lifetime!"

"I refuse."

"I'm sure you will be singing a different tune once you agree to this! I guarantee you in ten years you will recall this moment with fondness!"

"I refuse."

The older woman huffed. The pinkette sure was stubborn, although the more correct term would be _brunette._

"But of course you will be dressed in this in your female form, Sakura-chan!"

"I refuse!"

The oiran turned to Itachi, who had been silently sitting by the window and carefully avoiding being dragged into this.

"Itachi-san! Please convince her!"

Itachi, who had been looking out the window, turned his head to the woman...and cocked an eyebrow.

"...You want Sakura to dress as a geisha?"

Hana-san nodded her head, "I'm sure you would like to see for yourself too, Itachi-san! Please, convince her to put this on! She would look most beautiful!"

Itachi sighed. This was absurd. It was only a piece of clothing, and the kunoichi was putting on a stubborn front. The sooner she wore the kimono, the sooner Hana-san would be satisfied, and the sooner he would have his peace and quiet. Why the two women were in _his_ room to begin with was beyond him, but everywhere else in the building was too noisy for him to think. Once they were out, Itachi would be able to think in peace.

"Put the kimono on, Sakura."

Okita sputtered, "I-Itachi! How could you do this to me!"

Itachi merely gave a little sigh.

"I would like to see you in a kimono, Sakura."

As Okita blushed madly, Hana-san grabbed hold of the unaware kunoichi and dragged her out the room.

"We will be back soon, Itachi-san!"

He tried very hard to ignore the shouts of complaint coming form the hallway as poor Sakura was hauled off to change. Now he had few minutes of quiet. Finally.

...

When he picked up the steady footsteps coming his way, Itachi knew his solitude was up. For the time being, he had to act pleased to see Sakura as a geisha and to compliement her so that Hana-san could finally leave them alone.

"Itachi-san, we are coming in." Hana-san announced as Itachi prepared himself. When the shogi screen slid open, however, Itachi's breath escaped from him as if he had been punched in the stomach.

Before him stood a beauty far surpassing Hana-san; unparalleled, unique. Sakura did not give off the seductive charm that Hana was renowned for, nor did she appear innocent and demure image many geisha used to attract guests.

No. Sakura appeared to be a woman in melancholy, somber and calm. It seemed as if her heart would break at any moment, and tears would fall from her eyes. The way she held herself, sitting there before him, was both tense yet willing, as if she gave up on the idea of running from him. As if she would give in to him, as if that was the only thing she could do now.

Then the ultimate blow came when Sakura's lower lip trembled slightly in embarrassment as she spoke.

"Itachi-sama...please take care of me."

Hana-san giggled quietly as Sakura's face turned bright red. She glanced at Itachi and saw that he, too, had taken on a pink hue in his cheeks. The poor man was trying to tear his eyes away, though to no avail.

"I do believe I hear my name being called," the mastermind of this embarrassment remarked calmly, "if both of you will excuse me." And with that, she was heading downstairs.

Somewhere in his mind, Itachi mentally sighed.

This was far more tasking than he had thought it would be.

**-omake part 1 end-**

**just a little something to make up for the too-short chapter. **

**until next time!**


End file.
